GUWAHATI: To pace up the Covid vaccination drive in the state, the National Health Mission (NHM), Assam, and the state directorate of health (Family Welfare), in collaboration with healthcare innovation organization LEHS | WISH and the film fraternity launched a unique model awareness campaign to gear up mobilisation efforts and share the need and benefits of inoculation with the community.
Eminent actors, including Mridula Barua, Pranjal Saikia, producer and director Manjula Barua, chairman of Jyoti Chitraban Studio Pabitra Margherita, popular actor Jatin Bora, Prerona Borbora (national award-winning director), Rajesh Bhuyan (eminent film director), Gunjan Bhardwaj (actor), Biki Rajkhowa (actor), Tridiv Lahon (actor), Diganta Bharaty (singer), Munna Ahmed (director) and other artists took part in the on-spot campaign and addressed through an innovative audio visual awareness platform installed at Jyoti Chitraban.
They appealed to the community to get vaccinated, wear masks, maintain safe distance and practice hand and face hygiene. The audio visuals developed in this campaign will be disseminated through satellite channels, social media and mid-media forums.
Welcoming the film fraternity and artists’ community at the inaugural session of the campaign on Monday, Raju Tamang, state head of LEHS | WISH said, “The film fraternity and artists are important ambassadors of the Covid-19 vaccination programme as they have a huge fan following. Social media communication through such celebrities and ambassadors is the most effective form of mass communication.”
Following the inaugural session, a Covid vaccination camp was held at the Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio where around 100 members of the film fraternity, along with officials of the Jyoti Chitraban Studio (45 years and above), were vaccinated.
“By associating with this campaign, the film fraternity aims to actively engage everyone in the mission of Covid vaccination and management, and pledge to sensitize our community against stigma and other social barriers,” said health entrepreneur and singer and also the president of the Film Fraternity of Assam, Dr Hitesh Barua.
Addressing the campaign, director of health services (Family Welfare), Munindra Nath Ngatey, said vaccination is the only weapon we have against the surging cases and people should go out in large numbers to get vaccinated.
Inaugurating the campaign, executive director, NHM, Assam, Dr Manoj Kumar Choudhury, said the vaccination is pivotal to combating Covid-19. He also appealed to the film fraternity to sensitise communities.
Dr Binita Goswami, joint director at the directorate of health services (DHS), Family Welfare, and Monita Borgohain, secretary of Jyoti Chitraban Studio, also took part in the programme. The awareness campaign began with a theme song on the vaccination sung by Zubeen Garg.
A wall-sticker developed by the NHM Assam, DHS Family Welfare and LEHS | WISH was unveiled on the occasion. The sticker portraying Covid champions was handed over to all those who got vaccinated. The inaugural meeting of the awareness campaign was moderated by Dr Arup Jyoti Kalita, senior manager at LEHS | WISH.