SLAJ Monthly Symposium focuses on health sector
Freetown – The Monthly Symposium organised by SLAJ in collaboration with the BBC World Service Trust will take place on Friday 25 June 2010 at 9:00 AM at the Harry Yansanneh Memorial Hall, SLAJ headquarters at 56 Campbell Street in Freetown. It follows a lull last month owing to celebrations marking the World Press Freedom Day.
This month’s topic is Understanding Healthcare Policy: How a Journalist can report on healthcare for National Development. With the introduction in April of free health care for pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and children under 5 years, SLAJ feels the need for journalists to clearly understand the basics of the country’s Healthcare Policy, major healthcare terminologies/jargons and how to source healthcare reports before they are published as a way of raising public awareness and education.
“It will also serve as a forum to understand how journalists can help monitor the health care system so that it is not abused by either health workers or the publicâ€, says Sayoh Kamara the Symposium Coordinator and Public Affairs Secretary of SLAJ.
Very senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) and the Pharmaceutical Board of Sierra Leone have consented to be Speakers at the symposium. As usual, it will take the form of a panel discussion and will allow journalists to ask questions and make comments on the issues discussed.
Since January this year, SLAJ in collaboration with the BBC World Service Trust has conducted monthly symposiums aimed at improving the knowledge and understanding of journalists in reporting on different issues and also enabling them to challenge these issues in the interest of the public. As always, this month’s symposium is open to all journalists, students of Mass Communications and the public. It is a part of the National Conversation project which is part of the BBC World Service Trust’s media and governance initiative aimed at building the capacity of the media in Sierra Leone as well as engendering healthy and well-informed debates on key issues of national importance.
Interested journalists, organisations and members of the public can contact the SLAJ Publicity Secretary, Mr Sayoh Kamara on 076 622 501, or Ex-Officio Executive Member Mrs Williette James on 076 725 753 for further information.
Ismael Koroma, National Assistant Secretary-General, SLAJ
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