Garowe: 8 April 2015:- Media Association of Puntland (MAP) and Puntland Health ministry have co-organized one-day workshop on enhancing media’s role in polio awareness campaign in Puntland state capital, Garowe on Wednesday.
The workshop, which was supported by UNICEF Somalia has attracted about 45 media professionals from various media outlets across Puntland.
In his opening remarks of the workshop, Dr Abdirizak Abshir Hirsi, primary health care director expressed his delight to open this workshop and on the other hand urged journalists to help the ministry in the fight against polio.
“It’s a great honor for the ministry of health to host this colorful event for these media professionals, I urge journalists to help us eradicate polio which has paralyzed many Somali children”, states Dr Hirsi
“I would like to thank all of you (journalists) who have made here today for their continued commitment to eliminating polio through awareness programs to the community and giving children a healthy start to life through immunization,” says Brenda Kyeyune, UNICHEF communication specialist.
Kyeyune adds that Puntland is on a path toward eliminating polio and she quite confident that media workers are committed to play a part in this journey.
“Puntland journalists have always played an effect role in fighting polio by airing awareness programs via all forms of media stations in the region, I’m quite sure that they will double the efforts after today’s advantageous workshop organized by ministry of Health together with Media Association of Puntland”, notes MAP Secretary General Fatima Mohamed.
Dr Sadik Enow, minister of health who closed the workshop underlined the importance of such program, thanking journalists who travelled from far away regions to attend the training.
This is intended to accelerate multiple advocacy and social mobilization efforts to ensure that not a single child is missed during polio immunization campaigns in Puntland regions.
