Scholarship / Impact of my study to national development; Commonwealth scholarship. [3]

Please I need someone to help to review my essay

Commonwealth scholarships in the UK receive funding from the UK DFID. An important selection criterion is therefore the potential contribution that you will make to development if you receive a commonwealth scholarship. You must provide a statement explaining how your proposed study relates to development need. You are advised in your statement to describe how your plan of study or research relates to development in your sector and country, and how it relates to your chosen theme. Please say how, on your return, you will apply your new skills and qualification and describe the outcome you hope to achieve and the time-frame for their implementation. This could usefully be related to a national development priority or objective. Please also suggest how the impact of the potential benefits of your work might be measured and describe a typical potential beneficiary from the study/research.(up to 500 words)

Commonwealth scholarship application essay

The scourge of the endemicity/epidemics of infectious diseases like meningitis and yellow fever has reached unbearable proportions in Nigeria. The latest outbreak of meningitis, for example, claimed a reported 1,166 lives in just over 23 weeks. This does not include deaths from other communicable diseases like malaria, measles, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, etc. Vaccine-preventable diseases remain the commonest cause of childhood mortality with an estimated 3 million deaths annually.

The major underlying issues include unavailability of vaccines, absence of adequate laboratory facilities to make prompt diagnosis, monitor and study the genetic variations of these pathogens, the inability to locally produce vaccines/antibodies and the lack of the technologies and expertise thereof.

Following recent outbreaks, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) made concrete plans to revitalize the Federal Vaccine Production Laboratory in order to prioritize local production of vaccines. The project dubbed "Biovaccine Nigeria Limited" is primarily aimed at ensuring a sustained availability of essential vaccines in the country. In addition, the laboratory will support innovative technologies used in molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases and the application of biotechnology to vaccine production. It is projected to be fully operational within the next four years.

Acquiring an MSc degree in Molecular Genetics/Diagnostics will be a timely achievement because at the end of the program, I must have gained considerable knowledge on the molecular biology of infectious pathogens, acquired the requisite laboratory skills in molecular microbiology/immunology with experience in related molecular diagnostic techniques and have accumulated relevant research, statistical and bioinformatics skills.

Upon completion of this course, I will use the skills and knowledge I would acquire to make significant contribution to the federal government project. I will apply to work as a Clinical Research Scientist at the FMOH where I will be involved in the biosynthesis of vaccines, carry out extensive research and laboratory work on the common bacterial and viral pathogens, and also introduce the newer molecular methods for diagnosing and monitoring infectious diseases. These highly sensitive, specific and reproducible diagnostic methods will ensure early disease detection and a high quality cost-effective patient care. Also, the resultant sustained availability of vaccines and prompt interventions during outbreaks which will in turn reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases will place Nigeria on a strong pedestal towards achieving the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goal of "ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing". I will also collaborate with the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research to train interested scientists to gain hands-on skills in these molecular diagnostic techniques. This will create more skilled personnel and in turn strengthen the Nigerian health system and capacity. I aim to achieve these within five years following completion of these course.

I will also upload the result of my work on the Nigerian Health Journal which will be readily accessible for the commission to measure its impact towards development. Also, analyzing national infectious disease prevalence/incidence rates as well as improved disease detection is another objective way the impact can be measured.