Nyamira: The department of health services in Nyamira County is conducting a 10-day retooling training for its Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to enhance their basic health service delivery within their communities. The County director for primary health services, John Kimani, emphasized the crucial role CHPs play in saving lives as they are the first and critical health service providers in the healthcare service chain.
According to Kenya News Agency, Kimani highlighted that CHPs interact directly and regularly with members of their communities, making them well-positioned to assess the health status of individuals before they access medical facilities. This training aims to retool CHPs with essential skills to manage prompt basic healthcare services and relay reliable health-related information to the department.
Kimani explained that the community health services were initially introduced with a volunteer spirit. CHPs were not compensated but motivated through free training and provided bicycles for mobility in the vast communities they serve. He challenged the trainees to be efficient, noting that the county, in collaboration with the national government, now offers them a monthly stipend as appreciation for their voluntary service and efforts.
The training has been supported by a partnership with Our Lady of Perpetual Support (OLPS), an organization for people living with HIV/AIDS and orphans. OLPS has been a key partner in handling communicable diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Kimani mentioned that the training has benefited 120 CHPs across four centers: Tombe, Metamaywa, Nyamusi, and Nyamira town.
Mr. John June, a representative from OLPS, confirmed their support for community-led projects in Nyamira, Kisumu, and Kericho counties with funding from the Global Fund. He emphasized the importance of equipping CHPs with necessary skills and basic requirements for community health work, as they are pivotal in assessing health status and responding to emergencies before patients access professional healthcare.
June revealed that Nyamira County was ranked 3rd and 2nd highest in reducing TB infections in 2022 and 2023, respectively, due to the efforts of CHPs. He expressed hope for a top ranking in 2024. The CHPs have also been instrumental in supporting the President's Bottom-up Economic Transformative Agenda (BETA) of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by registering citizens to the Social Health Authority (SHA) platform for medical insurance.
Urging CHP trainees to serve with the right attitude, June acknowledged their sacrifice and contribution to ensuring good health and preventive care in rural communities. He appreciated their role in advising communities on preventive measures against communicable diseases and providing immediate feedback to health facilities, which has fostered healthy living lifestyles.