Community Health Worker, Saif Ally

Dec 19, 2021 News

“…Now I use my experience with the vaccine to convince others to be vaccinated. My job is very important, vaccinators are like the main people, without us, nobody wouldn’t take the vaccine.”

Our Frontline Worker this Week is…

By Malisa Playter-Harry

Kaieteur News – As frontline workers in the health system continue to work hard in keeping the nation safe and most importantly vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 disease, many among them have chosen to dedicate their time and energy to the people. Many of these workers have sacrificed quality family time, personal time and even their own resources, in order to get the job done.

Saif Ally is our Frontline Worker this week

Saif Ally of Line Path, Upper Corentyne, Berbice, at the age of 27 is taking the health system by storm and is doing so simply because he is passionate about it. Ally is a Community Health Worker (CHW) and is tasked with vaccinating persons in the Upper Corentyne area. He is also presently the acting head of the Crabwood Creek Health Centre, a facility that he has been working at since 2013.
Ally, who attended the Skeldon High School and graduated in 2011, said he always wanted to be in the health sector but wanted to be a doctor, a dream that he says is still alive which he hopes to one day achieve.
“Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a health care worker, I wanted to be a doctor, but this is where I ended up, but I am thinking in the future to pursue it,” said Ally. He added that he has plans to migrate and pursue studies in medicine and eventually return to lend his skills to Guyana as a doctor.
Ally said when he heard about the coronavirus ripping through the world, he had already prepared himself mentally for when it hit Guyana, something he knew was inevitable.
He said, “When I heard about the outbreak, I knew it would come to Guyana and we would have to be ready to serve the people.” Ally said that he was asked to be on the COVID response team to provide vaccination services and has single handily administered vaccines to approximately 12,000 persons in the Upper Corentyne area, surpassing the target of 4000 to be vaccinated in Crabwood Creek.

Saif Ally in work mode

He added that while the job is a risky one, there were times when he got scared of possibly contracting the virus and exposing his family members to it. He, however, is convinced that, “there is a God and while I was scared, I knew this was my job and if I have to risk my life for the people, I will. I am passionate about my job.”
Ally noted that his passion for being in the health sector did not just randomly surface but because of his grandmother’s death, he was inspired. He recalled that he was in secondary school in the year 2011 when his grandmother had a heart attack. She was rushed to the Skeldon Hospital but by the time she got up the stairs, she stopped breathing. He added that despite nurses being around, no one attempted to save her life and it was at that point, he vowed to join the profession and do better.
He added that he has developed such a close bond with the people he caters to that many are inclined to praise him for the dedication and passion he puts forth while executing his job. This, he said, makes him feel good about himself and motivates him to improve and keep working for the people.

With some of his colleagues

His day, with work starting at 08:00hrs and ending at 16:30hrs daily, would usually begin at 06:00hrs since Ally noted that he would receive calls from persons very early in the morning who want to be vaccinated. Ally, notably, was the second person on the Corentyne to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but that it did not stop him from contracting the virus. Although he contracted the virus earlier in the year, he credits the vaccine for preventing him from experiencing severe symptoms. He only lost his sense of smell and taste but regained it a few months after.
“The vaccine did a great job, the virus passed normal, I wasn’t sick and so,” he said, adding, “Now I use my experience with the vaccine to convince others to be vaccinated. My job is very important, vaccinators are like the main people, without us, nobody wouldn’t take the vaccine,” he underscored.
There are currently three persons on the vaccination team at Crabwood Creek and Ally is advising all who would listen to take the vaccine since it helps the body to fight off the virus.
To paint a picture of Ally’s dedication towards his job, during the first day of the Pfizer vaccine roll out in Region Six for schoolchildren, he got into an accident while he was on his way to the school with a vaccine carrier. An individual riding an electric motorcycle rode into his path and caused him to end up in an accident. He said he suffered four fractured ribs, among other internal injuries but that did not stop him from working that day. As injured as he was, Ally chose to work through his injuries and help to execute the vaccination roll out in the upper Corentyne area.
Ally also applauded the efforts of the Regional Health Officer Dr. Vishalya Sharma, whom he said is always with them on outreaches and promoting unity in the workforce. The CHW said he is proud of the role, which he plays in such a critical time and has vowed to continue working tirelessly until herd immunity is achieved.