NAHARLAGUN, 15 Mar: The Arunachal Pradesh branch of the National Health Mission (NHM), in collaboration with the USAID-supported MOMENTUM Routine Immunisation Transformation & Equity Project (MRITEP), held a state-level orientation meeting recently to onboard ’cause ambassadors’ for promoting routine immunisation (RI).
The meeting was aimed at engaging the cause ambassadors in advocating and strengthening routine RI efforts, emphasising the importance of vaccinating all eligible children to bolster community immunity. Besides health officials and community stakeholders, NHM Mission Director Marge Sora and Medical Officer (Immunisation) Dr Tage Taka attended it.
Mrs India-2017 Dr Duyu Meena Mudang, along with renowned folk artist and singer Dr Delong Padung, and national awardee in folk music Ustad Bismillah Khan were introduced to the state officials during the meeting, which was chaired by Sora.
The ambassadors were briefed on the state’s communication activities, immunisation efforts, and their role as cause ambassadors. Leaflets and posters developed for the campaign were also shared with the state officials and the cause ambassadors.
“These influential public figures will play a pivotal role in boosting awareness about RI, and in strengthening community engagement across the state,” the NHM’s state IEC bureau stated in a release.
In addition to the orientation meeting, the model immunisation centre at TRIHMS was inaugurated in the presence of the cause ambassadors, the TRIHMS CMS, and the paediatrics HoD.
“The initiative will apply learnings from the Covid-19 vaccination rollout investment, and the project is directing efforts towards enhancing the service delivery experience at immunisation centres,” the release said, adding that “this initiative aims to spotlight best practices in service delivery by strengthening the immunisation service experience in selected sites.”
“The initiative includes several quality improvement steps, such as capacity building for staff, strengthening the immunisation centre to be more user-friendly, and other person-centered approaches, such as counselling and effective communication, and outreach in communities,” it added.
State Immunisation Officer Dr D Padung expressed her commitment to the initiative, emphasising the importance of reaching out to unvaccinated populations and ensuring that every child receives essential vaccinations through the cause ambassadors and media platforms.
Sora in his address highlighted the critical role of the cause ambassadors in promoting immunisation, citing their influence in dispelling myths and increasing vaccine acceptance rates.
MRITEP Director Dr Gopal Krishna Soni said that “the project has successfully facilitated the Covid-19 vaccination among the vulnerable and marginalised for the state governments of 18 states.”
In Arunachal, the project team members supported the state teams in reaching the most hard-to-reach areas with Covid-19 vaccination. “In this phase, the learnings and strategies from the Covid-19 vaccination drive will be leveraged in the uptake of RI among children,” Dr Soni said.
“By joining forces and fostering a strong partnership between healthcare providers, the cause ambassadors, the media, and the community, we are confident in our ability to overcome vaccine hesitancy and pave the way for a healthier and disease-free society,” he added.
