Save the Children together with the Gulf Provincial Health Authority (GPHA) and Oil Search Foundation have completed a week long COVID-19 Vaccine awareness Training for Health Care Workers in Kikori district Gulf province.
A total of 36 health workers consisting of 13 females from rural aid posts, health centers and urban clinics attended the district training. The training was aimed at making sure health workers understood well aspects of the COVID-19 vaccine so they can go back to their communities to help increase the uptake of the vaccine.
Kikori District Health Manager Kunsy Donnie highlighted that there were over 200 health workers in the district however a less number has been vaccinated which is a concern. He said the training was important to reduce risks in the communities.
“Out of the 200plus health workers in the district, we have about 10% who have been vaccinated. The training is important because when the health workers go out to their communities, they will be agents of change”.
Danny also thanked the Gulf PHA, Oil Search and Save the Children for making the training a reality for the district. Following the training, 6 health workers themselves got their first jobs whilst 7 others for their second and booster shots. Amongst them was twenty-six-year old Community Health Worker (CHW) Corazon Yowat who decided to get the vaccine. She took the vaccine because if she was down who would treat the patients.
She said, “I decided to take the vaccine because COVID-19 not only affects the respiratory system but all parts of the body. And as a CHW I think it is important for me to take the vaccine because if I’m sick who else will treat the patients”.
The topics covered in the training included the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, how COVID affects the human anatomy, how to vaccinate a patient, treatment, and management of COVID-19, interpersonal communication, and planning and monitoring.
The training is the second to be held in Gulf province, the first one was held in June in Kerema. These trainings are one of many activities Save the Children is carrying out together with PHAs and partners under its Risk Communication & Community Engagement (RCCE) project which is supported by UNICEF.