Insecurity; everyone has heard one thing or the other about it. I’m sure many inquisitive minds would either grab a medical dictionary call a medical friend or go to Google to investigate this new disease….I’m glad I got your attention and you need to follow this train of thought all through this short piece.
It’s not news again to read comments all over the social, mass and print media about names of girls from Chibok and recently pupils from Dapchi. It’s really pathetic! There’s so much danger associated with these shows of insecurity and many of such problems have been analyzed politically, but my perspective is strictly and entirely health related.
Those Directly affected: the victims
Psychiatric problems : Fear, anxiety, depressive illness, suicidal ideations are a few of psychiatric problems they can experience if they survive the ordeal.
Rapes and sexually transmitted diseases
Teenage pregnancies and criminal abortions
Physical Abuse -Trauma, fatigue
Psychosocial abuse – Exposures & “brain washing” and training them for terrorism
Substance abuse exposures
Physical hazards- Extremes of Temperature
Biologic Hazard- Bites, Injuries
Those Indirectly affected: parents and loved ones/Community
Psychological: Stigma, Depression, Mental breakdown
High Blood pressure and Stroke (CVDs)
Heart Attacks
Peptic Ulcer Disease
Acute Asthmatic Attacks
Environmental (especially Air) land and sea pollution
Worsening of Health Indices – for example failure to eradicate Poliomyelitis till date in Nigeria is strongly linked to Insecurity
Emigration of Health workers out of such Regions
Increase in traditional harmful practices
Collapse of Health Care System
Increase of internally displaced and Refugees
In Conclusion,
People’s security is a prerequisite for a peaceable, constructive and collective existence in which individuals have the best chance to live in a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. People’s insecurity is a massive global health issue and, at the end of the day, when taken for granted it generates serious immediate and futuristic consequences on the health sector with evidence of worsening of human health indices.
Recommendations
Adequate and prompt medical, psychosocial, physical treatment and rehabilitation plans by Government for victims and others concerned is essential.
Government can build motivation and confidence in health workers by proper orientation and training on insecurity with incentives.
Lastly, those concerned with international health issues, including ministries of health cannot simply focus on the promotion of health alone, but also on the protection of health through policies and collaborations
Thanks for reading!
What is your view on the issue of security and its impact of health? I would love to hear from you!
The author, Dr Ibukun Adebayo a Public Health specialist trained as a doctor at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria. He currently works at Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. Dr Ibukun is the Clinical Lead for MyMedicalBank.
