Need for teamwork to end HIV, TB and Malaria

Malawi: The Creative Centre for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM) has urged journalists, health workers, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the country to collaborate and coordinate efforts to combat COVID-19, Tuberculosis (TB), and HIV/AIDS, writes Chilungamo Missi, MANA.

The remarks were made in Mulanje during a one-day workshop organized by the organization, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Action Aid, to educate journalists on positive reporting in accordance with COVID-19, TB, and HIV.

Lonjezo Idrissa, Communications Officer for CRECCOM, stated that poor collaboration and coordination among journalists, health workers, and CSOs impedes efforts to address the country's problems.

“There was a time when most journalists used to report negative information about Covid 19, like the number of deaths, myths, and rumors in communities even though a number of positive strides were being made; this fueled negative response from the communities,” he said.

Idrissa advised journalists to continue reporting positively on tuberculosis, malaria, and COVID-19 in order for the country to win the battle against these issues.

According to Adrian Chikumbe, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, collaboration ensures the free flow of information and has the potential to boost health worker morale as well as improve communication and engagement among stakeholders.

He advised journalists to seek information through proper channels in order to obtain accurate information from reliable sources.

Journalists, District Information Officers, social welfare officers, CSO representatives, and Health Promotions Officers from Blantyre, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, and Thyolo districts participated in the orientation, which was part of the 'COVID-19 Response Mechanism' project.