The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) has stressed the need for Local governments in Nigeria to invest in recruitment of more environmental health officers for the smooth running of environmental health practice in the country.
The Registrar, Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), Dr Yakubu Baba Muhammed made this known at a two day stakeholders meeting on Monday in Abuja. The aim of the meeting is to critique some parts of the draft guidelines identified as critical to the practice of environmental health in Nigeria.
Addressing Journalists at the opening ceremony, Dr Yakubu said environmental health officials in communities are very few and have contributed to the predominance of various diseases resulting from environmental issues.
He said since environmental health is community based, recruitment of medical doctors, nurses and community health workers must be prioritized by local government to reduce disease burden in the country.
To change the narrative of environmental health practices in the country, the EHORECON boss further charged states and local governments in the country to subscribe to the policies at the federal level in order to achieve common goal.
Speaking on the guidelines, the council said it is reviewing four guidelines to add to the sixteen existing ones produced since its inception.
The Registrar of the council said reviewing the guidelines will rebrand and strengthen the environmental profession in Nigeria to compete favorably with other professions in the country and beyond.
He urged that stakeholders simplify terms and languages in the document so that it can easily be understood by all environmental health officers across the country.
National President of the Association of Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, Shuaib Jamilu Muhammed urged colleagues to embrace evolving modern practices and strive to raise the profession to global standard.
Also Speaking, representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Health, Mrs Ohia Rita and Mr Durojaiye Adebayo respectively expressed their Ministry’s commitment to support the council in achieving a workable document.
