The Ministries of Health, ICT and National Guidance have collaborated with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in a bid to help demystify popular myths among members of the public about Coronavirus.
Whereas government has taken drastic steps including the announcement of a lockdown as well as other health interventions, there are still some misconceptions and myths that members of the public have surrounding Covid-19.
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However, according to Vincent Bagiire, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, government will make efforts to ensure the public is given the right information about the virus as one of the ways to help in fighting the pandemic.
“The main aim of the partnership is to allow the citizens to interact with experts and get a better context of the pandemic and government’s efforts to protect them against Covid-19,”Bagiire noted.
“Our role as a ministry is to facilitate access to science-based information from government to the citizens, and enable citizens to engage experts.”
According to Dr.Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, the move has come at the right time and will help Ugandans understand the key issues pertaining the pandemic and this will make them informed.
“The success in controlling Covid-19, lies in continuous community engagement and to appreciate that the disease is not an ordinary one. It is a global war and we must fight it together if we are to succeed,”Atwine said.
Speaking about the partnership, Mathias Kamp, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung country representative for Uganda & South Sudan said the collaboration is a reflection of their efforts to contribute to an informed dialogue in efforts to curb the Coronavirus pandemic.
“This comes at a time when joining hands with the governmental efforts is paramount,” Kamp said.
About the program
The program, which is a partnership between the Ugandan government and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung will see partners work with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation to host webinar sessions facilitated by medical professionals to answer and demystify the myths around Coronavirus.
Hosted by the Government Citizen Interaction Centre, under the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the webinar sessions will focus on the science behind the virus, the threat of misinformation during a pandemic and coping with anxiety and mental health during crises such as Covid-19.
All webinar sessions will be broadcast live on UBC, all partner Social Media channels and will also feature direct citizen engagement through the zoom online application.
According to government, the partnership will also entail activities under the Faces of Care campaign aimed at profiling and showcasing the human resource of the frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, hospital cleaners and customs official at different points of entry who have been central in ensuring the pandemic is kept at bay.
The program is scheduled to run through the months of May and June.
