Metkei Dispensary Opens to Community
The Metkei Dispensary officially launched this month in Elgeyo Marakwet County as part of a community health project supported by the Oak Foundation. The project aims to deliver a community-based universal health coverage pilot for 2,000 people in the county.
Universal health coverage means that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. It includes the full spectrum of essential, quality health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.
The pilot in Metkei includes population-based, community-owned, person-centered interventions aimed at addressing challenges of health and well-being with a focus on social, cultural, economic, and structural determinants of health.
The goal is an ongoing system of health education, screening and care that is proactive. At the household level, community health volunteers (CHVs) will do regular visits to educate, screen and refer community members who require medical attention to the community dispensary. Organized community groups will benefit from health education and screening during their regular meetings. Education on social health insurance and promotion of health insurance uptake will be incorporated in the health education messaging.
The dispensary was set-up in collaboration with AMPATH and the county health department to manage common ailments within the community including referrals from the CHVs. The clinic will offer consultation and treatment of common ailments. Patients who cannot be handled at the dispensary level will be referred to the nearest health facility.
The community and the county leadership identified the location for the establishment of the model dispensary which was renovated to meet the standards of a health facility. A committee of community members was identified and trained by the county health leadership to offer oversight on the operations of the dispensary on behalf of the community.
A nurse, supported by a stipend as part of the collaboration, offers services at the dispensary. An AMPATH revolving fund pharmacy (RFP) stocks the health facility with basic medications as per the existing formulary.
During the launch ceremony community health volunteers (CHV) were supplied with kits to help with ongoing household health education and screening for common ailments. The kits include a blood pressure machine for screening adults within the households for hypertension; glucometer for checking blood sugar; weighing scales and height meters; urine dipsticks for detecting first trimester pregnancies; deworming medicines for children and the registers for data capture. The CHVs were trained to conduct screenings and baseline surveys that cover health and economic status, health seeking behavior and the experience with the health system.
This model has attracted the attention of the county government that has asked the AMPATH team to sensitize the county assembly and offer technical support so they can replicate it in select facilities within the county. The model is unique in that the community takes a greater role in the oversight of the facility, including the range and quality of services offered. The ceremony to launch the dispensary was attended by the Governor of Elgeyo Marakwet County, the Vice Chancellor of Moi University and the Chief of Party of AMPATHPlus.