Community leaders as vaccine champions and the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea

The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic are essential for implementing substantive changes and present a significant opportunity to strengthen the resilience of health systems on both national and global scales in responding to future public health crises. It is widely acknowledged that COVID-19 vaccination represents one of the most effective strategies to contain the pandemic. Nonetheless, vaccine hesitancy continues to evoke fear and uncertainty, particularly in contexts such as Papua New Guinea (PNG), a nation characterised by one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates worldwide. Insights from previous public health interventions in PNG emphasise the critical role that community leaders play in ensuring the success of such initiatives. This publication reports on a study investigating the influence of community leaders on COVID-19 vaccine uptake in PNG. Qualitative research was carried out across seven provinces between July and November 2021, involving interviews with 131 participants, including healthcare professionals, key informants, community leaders, and primary health service clients. There was considerable support for community-led strategies, with participants advocating for awareness programs to be delivered by community leaders. The advantages of locally driven approaches include the trust communities place in their leaders and shared lived experiences, which enable them to address their specific needs effectively while respecting and building upon local beliefs and customs. The effectiveness of place-based vaccine champions was also endorsed, recognising the importance of collaborations between health systems, governments, and community leaders to promote COVID-19 vaccination. These findings underscore the importance of sustained support and bottom-up strategies to empower community leaders in fostering community ownership of health promotion initiatives and building resilient health systems, not only for COVID-19 vaccine distribution but also for future health interventions.