As the festive season sets in, brewer Nile Breweries has launched a mobile vaccination drive aimed at reaching locals at their places of work and homes.
“In his previous speech, HE President Museveni, indicated the need to also reach far places and elderly who can’t go to the vaccination centres. Out of this need, we have decided to intervene through having a Mobile Vaccination drive within select districts along the routes of our sales teams routine,” said David Valencia, Country Director, Nile Breweries.
The brewer is collaborating with district health teams in select areas to make vaccination more accessible to populations through a mobile vaccination drive following the call.
The mobile vaccination exercise, that started in Lira, Masaka and Matuga, along the Nile Breweries Sales teams routes, will spread to more districts during the festive season.
In Lango subregion, areas reached included Akia Bal or, Agwetagwet , Boroboro Ober. According to Sr Tino Tamil, from the District Health team, there was a huge turn up by youth. “We vaccinated 654 and are very grateful for this initiative by Nile Breweries especially during the festive season,” she said.
According to Monday Ojara, Sales Representative, Lango subregion, to enable the success of the mobile vaccination exercise majority of the local radio stations and the District Covid Task Force partnered NBL in terms of mobilisation and transportation of the health workers.
“It was a great experience for the community to be vaccinated from their homes and places of work,” he said.
Masaka has seen the drive serve many of the elderly. Salongo Matovu of Kasijjagirwa said, “ The vaccination centre is far, so I ‘m so happy that the health team came home. I had been postponing going to the center. Now my wife and my daughters are vaccinated.”
According to Joyce Namasinga, Ag Ast District Health Officer Masaka City, mobile vaccination has given the health team a great opportunity to reach far areas.
Ugandan enterprises urged to explore regional oil and gas opportunities“We have been able to reach out to those who missed, weak, sickly and elderly that cannot easily make it for vaccination or to their missed doses which are due,” she said. The areas reached were Nyendo, kyabakuza, kasijjagirwa , kirimya, Buwunga, Kabonera,Kyanamukaka. Namasinga revealed that door to door vaccination manages to reach 121 people in one day, however also enabled mobilisation up to 6727 people to get vaccinated (both 1st and 2nd Dose) in Masaka City Parishes of Nyendo , Katwe, Kimaanya Kabonera, Mukungwe.
“Thank you NBL for your support, the mobilization through car mobile drives increases sensisitization of masses to all our vaccination centers and of course down to the hard to reach in their respective homes, she added.
In Matugga, we are having the mobile drive in areas of Sanga, Nakukuba, Kasililwe and Gombe. The numbers are more than we anticipated, but the health teams are vigilant to ensure smooth vaccination,” said Stephen Nyonyintono, NBL Local Sales Representative in the area.
NBL’s commitment to safety first and safeguarding the health of employees, customers and communities has seen it play an active part in being part of the solution to combat Covid 19.
According to Onapito Ekomoloit, the Legal and Corporate Affairs director Nile Breweries, so far the company has supported MOH in 3 vaccination drives including; Play Your Part stationary drives in 26 districts in November, Covid Vaccination Run last week end at Kololo Airstrip and most recently the Mobile Vaccination drives.
NBL previously donated 300 oxygen cylinders for use in COVID critical-care wards, 25,000kg of maize meal to those threatened by food insecurity during the first lockdown, 2,400 litres of fuel to COVID Task Forces, and medical equipment valued at Shs60 million for Mulago Hospital Intensive Care Unit to assist in the fight against the pandemic.
In NBL the internal vaccination rate is at 90% as the company aspires to get over 95% of its people vaccinated this month, employees, contractors and family members.
“The best way to protect lives is through the private sector and government working together. We see examples now of countries across the world living in a post pandemic world, reopening economies and travel. We must work together to get there as soon as possible in Uganda,” says Ekomoloit.
