Report from Federal Ministry of Environment/Federal Information Centre, Owerri.
As a way to further improve the living standard of the people, the Registrar of the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) Mr. Augustine Ebisike has hinted in Owerri, Imo state that improved sanitation is the bedrock of modern development.
Mr. Augustine Ebisike, while quoting from the UN report said in the 20th century, that man made so much advancement in science and other related areas but one singular advancement man made in the 20th century that actually touched billions of lives was in the improvement of sanitation.
He said where sanitation had been compromised or not improved upon, the result is always poverty, whereby diseases and gross under development are prevalent; adding that “In order to grow people out of diseases and under development, it is imperative to improve their sanitation which was the gospel truth that you and I have to preach.”
He recalled with nostalgia, that in the 50’s and 60’s that sanitation was indispensable and that sanitary inspectors were adequately mobilized and empowered to keep diseases at bay.
Mr. Augustine Ebisike however, counselled students of Environmental Health studying at various institutions of higher learning in the country that their choice of career today was a better one, because Environmental Health is the fulcrum of public health which will help in shaping of this century, if they are prepared.
He revealed that today, new issues of climate change are emerging and that their curriculum are already geared towards addressing the health impact of climate change; adding that the world will be depending on them to ameliorate some of the impact of climate change.
In his remark, the Governor of Imo state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha posited that some needs assessment in various Local Government have been identified and in few days and weeks, such challenges as insufficient transportation to move Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) from one spot to the other shall be adequately addressed.
The special Assistant on Public Health who represented Governor Okorocha, Amaka Onwumere intimated of the measures laid down by Governor Okorocha to address burning issues as “Youth Must Work Programme.”
She said that they have gone through the data base and had identified a lot of qualified EHOs which, hopefully in the next few weeks would be engaged to join their counterparts in various Local Governments.
Onwulere also revealed that Governor Rochas Okorocha had initiated the “Health at your door step” programme.
According to her, this would mirror what we have overseas which is health care as Americans may call it. She posited that Imo State Government is in the process of embarking on a security training that will prepare them to merge the health care delivery process with the security system which in addition, means that the Government of Imo will train emergency medical services in the rural areas to undertake such services.
On the indiscriminate refuse dumping in Owerri, she said that Governor Rochas Okorocha is doing a lot to reverse the situation on ground and hopefully in few days, some very remarkable changes were going to be obvious.
The highlight of the day was the presentation of an educational awareness sanitation journal called “The Sanitarian” to the public by EHORECON.
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