A Public Health graduate from the University of Bedfordshire is working towards eradicating preventable diseases like polio in her native Nigeria.
Rakiyat bello came to the UK to study an MSc in Public Health before graduating in 2014 and returning home to Nigeria.She is now a cluster consultant with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has joined the fight to eradicate diseases like polio and tuberculosis from Nigeria, while encouraging people to get themselves and their children immunised against these diseases.
“I am involved in surveillance and health promotion activities, such as encouraging people to get immunised against vaccine-preventable diseases and encouraging people to report symptoms of other diseases, like measles and cholera, quickly so we can bring in measures to limit the spread of the disease,” said Rakiya.
“As a medical doctor, my passion has always been to contribute to finding lasting solutions to health problems, particularly in developing countries where public health issues are overwhelming. It is a great opportunity towards the realisation of my dream.”
Rakiya has fond memories of Bedfordshire and the support she received both in and out of lectures.
“I chose Bedfordshire because it is a multicultural environment with students from all over the world. I made friends with people from different countries and we are still in touch and we give each other advice when the need arises,” said Rakiya.