There is a popular adage that says Prevention is better than cure and there is another adage that says when one is not informed, the person will be deformed. I believe Public Health is the most important aspect of Medicine, it can help prevent and bring solutions to health issues like no other field. As an undergraduate at the department of Sociology and Anthropology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. I took some courses in Medical Sociology which exposed me to the fact that Medical sociology and Public Health share many of the same concerns in the study of social and cultural factors that affect the health of the population which is an interesting relationship between Sociology and the field of Medicine. I want to go into Public Health to become certified as a Health Promotion Program Coordinator because I believe strongly that I can contribute not only to my people and also to people all over the world.Because field experience is such a valuable learning tool, after my degree graduation, I have worked on several projects as a free-lance researcher; The first one was a project coordinated by Binomial Optimus Limited and sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Conjunction with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the objective of the project was the evaluation of the knowledge, self-efficacy and attitudes of adolescent girls to the use of modern contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies in Ogun State, Nigeria between August and September, 2017.
I also worked on a project with Hanovia Medical Limited in conjunction with National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the objective of the project was to evaluate the coverage of Maternal and Neo-natal Tetanus Elimination Campaign in Ondo State between October and September, 2016. These projects allowed me to view Public Health at a different level, exposed me to a different side of health care that I had previously seen and got me really interested in getting a degree in the field of Health Promotion.Public health issues affect every member of my society either directly or indirectly, most people both young and old engage in some habits that are seen as normal and are deadly due to the people’s high level of ignorance about the detrimental effects of these habits. Some of those habits are early debut in sexual activities, drug abuse, alcoholism, unhealthy dietary behaviours and inadequate physical activity. I have lost 3 uncles to kidney diseases due to their ignorance on the excessive intake of alcohol and I know that if they had adequate information about effects of their alcohol intake, they would not have died the way they did.My studies in public health will go a long way to helping me grasp the proper concepts and tools needed to work with the government to bring sustainable solutions to problems afflicting my community and the country at large.
Through adequate intervention, planning and effective implementation of effective policies, I anticipate being able to contribute to the development of the health sector through my work with an NGO or through the Nigerian Ministry of Health. I welcome the challenge of serving a large community and participating in such a dynamic and challenging field. I look forward to your favourable decision.
