Having observed the high degree of health information available to the general public in the UK and the corresponding level of health literacy, the idea of Health & Politics Today was conceived by Opeyemi Akindele in 2014 while studying as a Commonwealth Shared Scholar at the University of Bedfordshire.
Many people in Nigeria suffer and die needlessly because they lack important health information. Also, healthcare issues are rarely included as election or political issues in Nigeria specifically, and Africa in general. It was therefore important for a medium to exist whereby lay persons can be presented with helpful, accurate and clear health information.
The small multidisciplinary editorial team behind Health & Politics Today consists of five people, including three Commonwealth Scholars:
- Opeyemi Akindele, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher (B. Pharm, MSPH)
2013 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Nigeria (MSc Public Health, University of Bedfordshire) - Temitope Ojedokun, Managing Editor (B. Pharm)
2014 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Nigeria (MSc Public Health – Health Promotion, Leeds Beckett University) - Agrima Raina, South Asia Editor (BDS)
2014 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from India (MSc Public Health, University of Bedfordshire) - Wole Oladapo, Development Communication (B.A., M.A.)
- Olusola Orimoloye (MBBS)
Our editorial team has adopted a writing style which stands between strictly academic writings and informative writings for public consumption so that both technical and lay persons can be engaged. We want to raise awareness on health issues and empower individuals and communities to take action. Also, we want to engage health professionals as well as policymakers through health policy analysis, reviews and population health agenda.
Our first issue released in March 2015 is titled: ‘The MDGs 2015 deadlines: is it time to remind Africa of its failure?‘ It’s almost 15 years since the UN Millennium Declaration to eradicate poverty in the world and improve global health. We are nearing the end of 2015 which was set as the deadline for all the goals to be achieved. So we ask; how has Africa fared? Our cover story is broken into smaller segments for the convenience of our readers. We focus on poverty eradication (MDG 1) and maternal mortality (MDG 4) in Africa. Our cover story is broken into smaller segments for the convenience of our readers. Our next issue for the 2nd quarter will be out by June with a focus on the politics of health workers’ strike in Nigeria, its effect in reversing gains in health development and the way out.
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Temitope Ojedokun
2014 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Nigeria (MSc Public Health – Health Promotion, Leeds Beckett University)
