The NCD Provincial Health Authority believes working alongside church leaders on COVID-19 awareness and outreach was important.
NCDPHA Risk Communication and Community Engagement leader, Rhonda Tisap said her team has been conducting COVID-19 awareness and advocacy meetings in different places and it has been an uphill battle.
She believes there will be breakthrough once church leaders and health workers are fully engaged in the battle against COVID-19.
Early this month, Ms Tisap and her team organised an advocacy meeting with the churches.
She said church leaders was one of the target groups for the advocacy conducted at Morauta Haus.
During the advocacy meeting about 30 pastors, most of whom were from Pentecostal and Evangelical churches attended.
The advocacy covered the myths and hesitation against the COVID-19 vaccination and other health-related topics.
NCDPHA surveillance leader, Dr Mary Kaevakore, UNICEF communications specialist Alfa Alhussain and Rhonda Tisap disseminated information and appealed to the church leaders to help bring the correct information to the people.
Dr Kaevakore gave a surveillance update on COVID-19 cases in NCD and testified of her own experience on how misinformation and fake news had affected her. She had overcome this and received the vaccination.
Following the meeting, Pastor Jack Edward from the Shema Evangelism Ministry asked the presenters if they could attend one of his radio programs on Wantok Radio Light to share information so more people could be reached.
Pastor Daniel Hewali from the Agape Interdenominational Ministry who has been coordinating the churches daily Prayer Vigils at Morauta Haus since the pandemic started said he supports the awareness conducted for the different groups, to clarify confusions that had been spreading through social media.
He thanked the Government for the way it has handled the COVID-19 response, including the bringing in of the vaccine.
Pastor Hewali said the confusion over the COVID-19 vaccine was caused by misinformation but awareness conducted by the Department of Health and its partners will clear people’s minds to make their choice.
Recentl, a similar advocacy meeting was held for church leaders at the Catholic Bishops chancery attended by about 20 church leaders and representatives, including the Cardinal of the Catholic Church Sir John Ribat.
Pastor Michael Wilson from the PNG Christian Church said: “As churches, we need to take the right information to the people. Equip us with the right information to address misinformation.”