Rwandan journalists should play a key role in educating the local public on health issues, a health official has said.

Inés Mpambara, the Director of the Health Communication Centre, on Tuesday called upon journalists to carry out thorough research on health issues and make informed reporting.

She said that reporting on the health sector is still low since statistics portray that most local media outlets concentrate more on public functions, leaving most crucial areas unnoticed.

"We don’t report enough about health issues. There is need for going to the entire population asking them about their health and general wellbeing," Mpambara, herself a trained journalist, told media practitioners during a workshop on health reporting at St. Paul Centre in Kigali.

Rwandans especially those in the villages sometimes tend to ignore essential issues like washing hands before eating and regular medical checkups, she said.

"But with your contribution, we can together help reduce child mortality rate, maternal death rate and increase general awareness on health status," she said.

Statistics from the Health ministry show that 90 percent diseases in Rwanda are preventable.

Journalists pointed to bureaucracy in most public health departments and officials who do not want to release information.

They said such problems affect their job.

Ends