By Laurina B Lormia
The Ministry of Health, through the Montserrado County Health Team, has officially launched its Mass Digital Campaign to improve healthcare access and distribution of mosquito nets across the counties.
The program which was held on Wednesday August 21, 2024, in Monrovia focused on enhancing public awareness, providing training for healthcare professionals, promoting positive health behaviors among citizens, and utilizing digital platforms to reach a broader audience.
The County Health Officer, Jewel Tarpeh-Kollie, emphasized the importance of Social Behavior Change (SBC) in tackling public health challenges, highlighting the role of digital technology in amplifying health messages, especially in remote areas where access to traditional media might be limited.
According to her, this is not the first mosquito net campaign undertaken by the Ministry of Health, as these campaigns occur every three years.
She recounted that in 2021, there was a mass leadership campaign, and now in 2024, another is being held while the next of such campaign is scheduled for 2027.
She added that this year’s campaign will be slightly different than in previous years where the Ministry of Health conducted household registration and team members would visit for interviews, collect information, and then provide materials.
The CHO explained that this year, the process is going electronic; instead of the traditional method, participants will receive what we call coupons.
“Whatever amount of net that is on that coupon that is what you are going to receive. So when the team comes back to distribute, I mean, they will not ask you any other information. You just gave your coupon, and they will be scanned and give you the amount on that coupon,” she narrated.
“The amount of nets indicated on the coupon is exactly what you will receive, when the team returns to distribute the mosquito nets, they won’t ask for any additional information. You simply present your coupon, and it will be scanned,” reiterated.
The Ministry has recruited people from the community to be involved in the net distribution pointing out, “The community leaders, commissioners and superintendent on board because we cannot do it on our own.”
She said they cannot do the distribution on their own, so the Ministry recruited people from the community to assist with the net distribution, involving community leaders, commissioners, and the superintendents.
She, however, encouraged all families to use the nets for the intended purpose adding that, they have seen children dying from malaria and its complications, which are well-known to them.
“Previously, there have been instances of misuse of nets for fishing, storing them under beds, or using them to catch birds. We urge everyone to use the nets properly to help prevent malaria,” she reminded.
This activity was originally scheduled for April, May, and June, but due to time constraints and other commitments, the ministry was unable to implement it as planned,” she added, saying that, they were granted a no-cost extension, and the activity is now set to conclude by the end of September.
“We are working to complete everything within this tight timeframe. We encourage everyone to spread the word within their homes and communities,” she concluded.
