Environmental Health Advocate, Dr. Nuhu Solomon Anyegwu Rekindles Awareness on Environmental Health Services to Celebrate World Enviromental Health Day, 2020

WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DAY, 2020 is entitled Environmental Health, a key to public Health Intervention in Disease pandemic prevention. 

Let us look at it from this perspective, Prevention ,it is popularly stated is better and cheaper than cure. But the question comes ,how is it that many know this, yet there is high level of neglect ,non challant attitude and lack of commitment to Environmental Health Services.

No wonder, the constant rise in disease burden, incessant out break of communicable diseases and other environmental related diseases in the world. The problems and challenges is not farfetched, common among them are: 

1) Inadequate budgetary allocation of governments at all levels to Environmental Health services and Sanitation,

2) The use of obsolete and substandard environmental Health Laws not meeting the present dynamics of our society,

3) uncorporating attitudes of our people to Environmental Health Services

4) Lack of adequate facilities, modern equipment and other Scientific tools for Sanitation

5) Lack of commitment on the part of professionals to their duties and services to the people,

6) Ignorance on the part of decision makers, policy makers and those in governance on the importance of prioritising of Environmental Health Services,

7) Professional incompetence among Environmental Health practitioners and bedevilled rivalries among health Professionals amongst others. 

It is important to state at this juncture the diverse challenges that is enigmatically facing the environment such as bush burning, desertification

, climate change and global warming, natural disasters, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, use of chemicals for farming, introduction of chemicals into bodies of waters for fishing, erosion menace all over the world, dangerous effects of industrialization on the environment, improper waste management e.t.c. All these are inimical to Environmental sustenability. 

We must all wake up as people to the collective responsibilities of salvaging the environment from total destruction. Persitent and collective efforts will bring about CLEANER,SAFER, GREENER AND HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT. 

THE PROSPECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT: Environment remains the greatest assets of man, prominent amongst them is the diverse resources it provide such as undiscovered minerals of different types, conversion of specific Environment to productive farm lands, industries, dams, schools , amusement parks, forest reserves, tourist attraction centres e.t.c. 

WAY FORWARD FOR THESE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS: 

At this time of World Environmental Health Day celebration, let us all be committed to implementing the proffered solutions to these problems, viz:

 (1) Employment of adequate number of Environmental Health Officers at all levels of governments,

(2) Review and passing into laws ,modern Environmental Health laws that wil meet the yearnings of the people in the present society,

 (3) Adequate budgetary allocation of governments to Sanitarian and Environmental Health Services according to ETHekwini declaration,

(4) Intensive health education to the majority of ignorant population on Environmental Health mater's and sensitisation and advocacy to policy makers

 (5) Provision of sanitation facilities like Waste Recycling plants in all states of the federation and basic Sanitation equipment for the present society 

(6) Reinvigoration and revitalization of Environmental Health services by all our members for society to feel our impacts. I strongly believe that if these pieces of mine is given attention , world wide, the Environment will soon be a better place

Thank you all. Comments and contributions are welcomed. 

- San(Dr )Nuhu Solomon Anyegwu, Deputy National President , Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN)