Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Former Health Minister in the inclusive government and current secretary for Health and Child Welfare in the MDC Alliance, Henry Madzorera has urged the government to do more in raising awareness on the benefits and risks of vaccines.
He also said the is a need to clear unfounded claims on the harmful effects of COVID-19 vaccines which are being peddled by alarmists, among them self-proclaimed prophets, especially on social media platforms. Said Madzorera:
We need to raise awareness on the benefits and risks of vaccines in general, and of the covid-19 vaccine more specifically, and demystify conspiracy theories and other myths doing the rounds.
Madzorera asserted that it is imperative to include other stakeholders such as churches, traditional leaders and civil society in the issue. He added:
There is need to involve other stakeholders like church leaders, traditional leaders, healthcare providers, workers’ unions, captains of industry, students, telecommunication companies, civil society, the United Nations family, and other partners, right from the beginning.
We consider it prudent for the government to set up a multi-stakeholder advisory board on covid-19 vaccination, and give it both authority and responsibility.
Transparency is extremely important in this venture, in light of our past experiences with covid-19 designated funds.
