Burton consultant presenting webinars in Gujarati to provide education about Covid-19 vaccine
A Consultant is presenting a series of virtual educational events in Gujarati to encourage more members of the BAME community to take the Covid-19 vaccine.
Miss Jyoti Shah, Macmillan Consultant Urological Surgeon based at Queen’s Hospital Burton, has presented events in her own time specifically focusing on the myths and rumours that surround the vaccination programme, as well as tackling issues such as combating mental health issues during the pandemic. Some of the videos have now had in excess of 20,000 views on YouTube.
Miss Shah explained: “I am quite heavily involved in the Jain [an ancient Indian religion] community as it is, and in October 2020, we really wanted to start getting the message out there in our community about Covid-19 so that everyone could be better educated.
“We thought it would be better received in these communities if we were to speak to them in their language, hence where the idea of presenting the virtual sessions in Gujarati came from. I felt it was really important for me to get involved and help to spread this vital message.”
After the first session was so well received, Miss Shah was contacted by several other community groups to present at similar events and continue to provide information about the virus. One of these events was a collaboration of more than 30 community groups and had thousands of people tune in live.
Miss Shah believes that addressing the concerns of the community in their own language has contributed to the success of the sessions:
“A lot of the elderly members of the Asian community don’t speak very good English, so to have someone giving them the reassurance, comfort and care in their own language I believe has been really beneficial to them.
“We’ve had question and answer sessions that have lasted for more than 90 minutes on some of the sessions trying to dispel some of the myths that are associated with Covid-19 and the vaccination programme, and to be honest we’ve had to do a lot of that.
“What I keep saying is that if this vaccine is going to protect me, you, your families, the wider community and everyone else, then it is for the best.”
Miss Shah also provides free prostate screening clinics in the community, but has had to postpone all clinics during the pandemic, but hopes to be able to get back on the road providing this vital service in the near future:
“As soon as we can get back out there in the community, then we will. I would urge anyone who has symptoms of prostate cancer to contact their local GP and get checked out as soon as possible.”
View one of Miss Shah's Gujarati webinars (opens in new window) >