In December 2021, the Şanlıurfa Provincial Health Directorate (Şanlıurfa İl Sağlık Müdürlüğü) kept its mobile vaccination teams working through the weekend. The teams used what officials called the “sweeping” technique (süpürme tekniği). Staff went from house to house in rural neighbourhoods and district centres where vaccination rates were low.
The province in south-eastern Turkey was described as one of those with a lower Covid-19 vaccination rate. The directorate said 102 teams made up of about 300 health workers were covering the province.
What did the weekend campaign involve?
The mobile teams had already been touring districts and neighbourhoods on weekdays. At the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, they carried on with the same work. Each team visited homes one by one to vaccinate residents who had not been vaccinated or had missed a dose.
The directorate said each team had three members. Staff were told in advance which areas to go to, and they concentrated on the neighbourhood assigned to them.
How did the “sweeping” technique work?
The provincial health director, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Gülüm, said the approach meant sending concentrated teams to rural neighbourhoods and villages with low vaccination rates. Instead of waiting for residents to come to a clinic, the teams went to them.
On the Saturday, preparations began early in the morning at the Eyyübiye District Health Directorate, where the teams gathered at 08:30. The provincial health director attended a breakfast with the staff before they set out. The directorate said the same arrangement would be used at the Haliliye District Health Directorate on the Sunday.
Which districts were covered?
The directorate named these districts as part of the effort:
- Viranşehir
- Harran
- Akçakale
- Eyyübiye
- Siverek
- Haliliye
- Ceylanpınar
- Bozova
- Hilvan
- Suruç
- Halfeti
- Birecik
According to the health director, teams had visited these districts twice in the previous ten days. The weekend work was another round of the same visits to rural neighbourhoods.
What other services were running?
The directorate said the weekend teams were one part of a wider effort. Family health centres, state hospitals, and training and research hospitals continued to operate. The province also kept its fixed mobile vaccination points and roaming teams working at the same pace.
The directorate added that the Covid-19 mobile vaccination teams, as before, worked across the province on a voluntary basis. They vaccinated anyone who chose to be vaccinated.
Who ran the campaign?
The campaign was run by the Şanlıurfa Provincial Health Directorate. Its district health directorates in Eyyübiye and Haliliye served as the Saturday and Sunday bases. Its statement on the weekend work was released in December 2021, and it said the teams would keep working without a break.