The Rivers State commissioner for health, Professor Princewill Chike, has called for person-to-person sensitization in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.
Making the call during the flag-off of the LGA House-to-House sensitization on Covid -19/presentation of the state Covid-19 Report Booklet to stakeholders in the state, the commissioner said they should go beyond house-to-house to person-to-person campaign.
Dr Chike, who was represented at the occasion by the director of medical services, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Manda Chijioke, stated that it was the best way to spread the COVID-19 message faster.
“Go beyond house-to-house enlightenment; carry out the campaign to person-to-person. By so doing, the message will spread across the state and enable every household to be aware.
“This will invariably enable them to gradually change their behaviour from denial of the pandemic to acceptance”, he said.
The commissioner also used the opportunity to debunk rumours that health workers who died as a result of COVID-19 were due to lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“They were exposed (to COVID-19) not because of lack of PPE, because we have enough PPE provided by the Rivers State Government and other partners”, he explained.
According to him, most of those exposed were found to be involved in their private practice outside the approved health facilities.
Affirming the commissioner’s stance, the chief of field, Rivers Field Office, UNICEF, Dr Guy Yogo, said person-to-person sensitization is key to behavioural change.
“Today, we’re really seeking to change the tone for community engagement and behaviour change. This means we need to listen to people, and to listen to people, we begin to engage with them, listen and understand why some people do not abide by the (COVID-19) preventive measures”, he said.
Also speaking, the national president, Civil Society Organisations Response Team on COVID-19 in Nigeria, Ambassador Emmanuel Ekweke, stated the readiness of CSOs to adjust their message of sensitization to person-to-person in accordance with the directives of the commissioner.
“The commissioner for health said we have passed the stage of house-to-house, door-to-door, and that we should embark on person-to-person sensitization to check the trend.
“So we have changed our original concept now, we have resolved to kick-start person-to-person sensitization in Rivers State”, he said.
