The development Research and Projects Centre, (dRPC) and the Nigerian Academy of Medicine, has launched a N2.5 million media awards challenge targeting effective health care delivery especially access to primary health care services for women and children.

The awards are intended to encourage reporters and spur them to do more regarding shedding light on key issues, and that the categories consist of first prize, second prize and third to tenth.

Entries are expected from Journalists on Basic Healthcare provision fund, Universal health coverage, women and gender in health, health financing, and Primary health care centres.

Articles written from 2022 to date are accepted and multiple entries are allowed.

The first prize is a million naira, the second prize is five hundred thousand, the third prize is three hundred thousand naira, while the fourth to tenth positions will receive consolation prizes of fifty thousand naira each,

The partnership is hoping that as an offshoot of the initiative, policymakers will begin to prioritise primary health care so that access to health care, especially women and children, who are mostly those that go to these care facilities for routine immunisation, among others.

Indices will improve because there is more funding, meaning there will be more staff, contraceptives and other services.

The Director Projects, dRPC, Dr. Stanley Ukpai, said the partnership between dRPC, NAMED and the media aims to amplify issues surrounding funding of basic health care in Nigeria to ensure women and children are prioritized even as the budgeting process is about to begin.

Indices will improve because there is more funding, it will mean there will be more staff, contraceptives and other services.

“We understand that the indices that we currently have focuses on this cadre of people; women and children because they are mostly target with routine services like immunization, antenatal services and family planning so we are hoping that as an impact of this initiative, policy makers will begin to prioritise funding for primary healthcare so that these indices will begin to improve.

If there is more funding, it will mean there will be more commodities, more contraceptives, there will be more staffing tat when these women and children attend the facilities, they are able to access care.