“People need to invest in themselves to grow their skills by attending various training or acquiring academic qualifications.”
The first step to becoming innovative is that people need to invest in themselves first to grow their skills, knowledge and understanding of health reporting.
In Tanzania, if somebody gets interested in health reporting, he or she starts reporting about what is happening in hospitals, what the officials in hospitals are saying, what the government is saying, there is an outbreak or there is no outbreak – those general reports. But the actual in-depth reporting of uncovering issues relating to health care needs dedication, and this dedication in media requires investment. The most important thing is that people invest in themselves, whether they apply for support and grants to hone their skills, attend various training, or even acquire some academic qualifications.
I am doing a Masters in Science Communication at the University of Sheffield to enable me cover health and science stories with greater understanding and depth. I plan to create a generation of health reporters across Tanzania who have the requisite skills not just the mere reporting of events but can bring up the science of why things happen and how we can solve them.
Dr. Syriacus Buguzi is a Tanzanian Science Journalist who is passionate about raising the profile of Tanzania’s scientific research output and innovation through mass media. He is a medical doctor (MD) but currently pursuing a Masters in Science Communication at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.