Journalists from different media outlets completed a three – day workshop on media coverage on health matters and sensitisation on Universal Health Coverage ( UHC ) at Swakopmund on Wednesday . The workshop , which was facilitated by the Ministry of Health and Social Services ( MoHSS ) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) was aimed at training journalists to enhance their understanding and communication of UHC . It was also aimed to educate the media on UHC principles : quality , equity , financial protection , and resilience as well as to simplify complex UHC topics for media communication . UHC means that every individual and community should have access to quality and affordable health services without suffering undue financial hardship or financial catastrophe . It also includes access to essential medicines , therapeutics , vaccines , and technologies that are effective , safe , and of good quality . In an interview with the media on the sidelines of the event , Deputy Director in
the Directorate of Policy and Planning in the MoHSS , Ambrosius Uakurama said the ministry aims to extend UHC awareness beyond national levels to the community , leveraging various media outlets to combat misinformation . ‘ The media ‘ s proximity to the community is crucial for disseminating accurate information so this training was part of an effort to equip journalists with the necessary background and accurate information to report on these challenges effectively ,’ he expressed . Rachel Nghimulitete , a Media Officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology said the workshop enlightened her on how much progress the government has made in implementing UHC . ‘ I was not aware of just how far we have gotten as a country in terms of UHC , how we are doing right now and what we need to do in order for us to improve as a nation . I am therefore happy to hear that currently Namibia is doing well compared to other African countries in this aspect and this is despite the challenges that we are
currently facing ,’ Nghimulitete expressed . Journalist at the Windhoek Observer newspaper Stefanus Nashama noted that covering social issues and understanding the health complexity in the country are crucial for factual and accurate reporting
Source: The Namibia News Agency