Daily Times

In collaboration with FIND and Unitaid, Shifa Foundation Pakistan is implementing a project on COVID-19 Test and Treat Advocacy in Pakistan. The overarching goal of this Project is to create an enabling environment for increased access to and scaled-up use of COVID-19 testing and linkage to treatment in Pakistan. Shifa Foundation Pakistan has developed a performance culture to ensure that senior management has fingers on the pulses of projects activities. The senior management of Shifa Foundation including Executive Director, Associate Director, Associate General Manager Finance and Program Manager participated in a two-day quarterly progress review meeting with the team of COVID-19 Test and Treat Advocacy in Pakistan at Faletti’s Grand Hotel, Murree. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Khadeeja Azhar (Executive Director of Shifa Foundation)

Mr. Said Shah (Program Manager) inaugurated the meeting and shared the background of project. Mr. Said Shah briefed the participants that Shifa Foundation had conducted a study on COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan. The study revealed that appropriate community mobilization at grassroots level and affective advocacy campaign at top root level can play a vital role to ensure vaccination against COVID-19.

Mr. Bawar Khan, (Project Manager) presented the progress and achievements in the meeting with Senior Management. He shared that field team of Shifa Foundation conducted more than 182 Community Awareness Sessions across Pakistan since May 2022 to October 2022. He further shared that about 4,462 people including 2,864 (over 64%) women and girls participated in these sessions on COVID-19 SOPs, test, and vaccination. While presenting the progress, Mr. Bawar Khan informed the participants that the project is using different advocacy and mobilization tools including Social Media, IEC material dissemination, public awareness messages and involving Print Media to urge people for COVID-19 test, vaccination, treatment, and SOPs. He shared that over 12 million people reached to authentic information and advocacy material about COVID-19 through different social media channels. The participants were informed that, the project has engaged Health Experts, Celebrities, and Volunteers in recording public awareness messages focusing on advocating and mobilizing communities about COVID-19 testing and therapeutics in Pakistan.

The team shared that more than 12 reputed English and Urdu newspapers published articles and headlines on project activities and achievements. Dr.Kadeeja Azhar suggested the project team to conduct sessions in educational institutes and raise awareness about COVID-19 test, treatment and vaccination among the students so that they could work as volunteers and mobilize their families and neighborhoods.

Mr. Zia Ur Rehman and Mr. Imran Bashir suggested the project team to strengthen the mechanism of feedback from the communities. Additionally, they suggested that challenges identified in COVID-19 vaccination and testing should be shared with relevant departments for their necessary actions.

Mr. Shafiq Ur Rehman (designation) said that project team should identify the most deserving segments of communities for vaccination camps. He further suggested that the advocacy campaign about COVID-19 test and treatment should be extended in as many cities and towns as possible. Mr. Said Shah shared that awareness messages on COVID-19 test and treat can also be delivered by displaying banners and posters at backside of Rikshaws and public transport in different cities. The project team pledged to use every possible means to mobilize community to practice COVID-19 SOPs, get vaccinated and get tested if they are carrying symptoms.