The Nakuru County Government is providing training for 300 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to improve their capabilities in delivering services, reduce healthcare expenses and alleviate the burden of diseases. Roseline Mungai, the County Executive Committee Member for Health Services stressed the county’s dedication to enhancing access to health services by empowering healthcare workers to effectively address health promotion and disease prevention needs.
Mungai emphasized that Governor Susan Kihika’s administration was keen to ensure that CHPs receive training and skills needed to reduce pressure on the healthcare system. By focusing on disease prevention, promotion of healthy lifestyles and offering health assistance to families, this training aims to enhance the ability of CHPs in delivering high quality local health services.
The current training program emphasizes Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM) and Non Communicable Diseases. Mungai confirmed that the county government was fully committed to supporting the success of the CHP initiative by providing needed resources.
Strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) plays an important role in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Hence support from all stakeholders is essential, for the success of the CHP program. The county government recognizes the significance of a healthcare workforce in delivering top notch health services and was exploring both local and international partnerships to bolster community health initiatives.
Community Health Promoters are responsible for caring for patients within their homes and directing them to high-level facilities when necessary. Additionally, the county will provide education to community members about the importance of drinking water, access to toilets and handwashing facilities. They will also encourage individuals to report any health issues such as diarrhea, cholera and malaria.
Ms. Mungai highlighted that adopting a community health approach could help improve concerning health trends like child mortality rates while also lessening the impact of diseases. The initial training typically spans around 10 days followed by a three months to cover a training program tailored to address specific disease challenges in each county. For instance promoters in areas prone to malaria will receive training on knowledge about malaria and its prevention.
Additional training modules will focus on promoting living environments, cooking practices emphasizing toilet usage and the significance of handwashing. Ms. Mungai is confident that prioritizing health promotion and disease prevention strategies can rejuvenate the healthcare system and mitigate escalating healthcare expenses.