PEOPLE have been urged to come forward to be trained as ‘health promotion advocates’ – a volunteering option to help them pay back to the country.
The ‘Health Promotion Friends’ campaign aims to gather volunteers who will serve as advocates of the Health Ministry to promote initiatives and spread relevant information to the public.
Adult citizens and residents can take part, the GDN has learnt, while the Health Ministry is expected to release more information on how to apply, soon.
“The campaign aims to encourage volunteer work in the health sector and develop the volunteering culture, which will ensure community solidarity and giving back to society,” the ministry said on Twitter.
“Participants will be trained on ways to lead a healthy lifestyle, and they will be responsible for spreading the word in the community.
“Volunteers, particularly youngsters, can use their free time to create a positive impact on society.”
The ministry will hold training sessions and workshops for the ‘advocates’.
A Bahraini physician working in the public sector backed the initiative.
“The ministry will equip participants with skills and knowledge through a series of sessions and they will act as health promotion advocates,” the doctor told the GDN.
“They will be tasked with disseminating accurate information about the ministry’s programmes.
“The goal is to ensure correct information reaches people, which will undoubtedly add value to our system. Whether it’s general information or specific disease-related data, the volunteers will spread the word among the public.”
According to the family physician, this would help relieve the burden on ministry’s staff, both medical and non-medical, while stopping the spread of rumours.
“The initiative is a ‘paying it forward’ type of gesture – each person can be an advocate in his family. With more volunteers, we will have more people with authentic information, eliminating the need for people to rely on unofficial sources.
“We will also have a well-informed and educated society, which is the need of the hour.”
The drive will create a community workforce to supplement the ministry’s public health promotion efforts, the doctor added.
The GDN reported last March that the government call for volunteers to be part of the national awareness campaign to tackle Covid-19 saw an overwhelming response. More than 30,000 citizens and residents signed up for the initiative within the first month.
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