Ministry of Health and AMPATH Launch Community Health Services
Despite elaborate health systems in place, basic health care services are still not reaching a majority of Kenyans. For every 1000 children born in Kenya, 75 die before their 5th birthday. For every 1000 women who deliver, 4 die in childbirth. These deaths are from what the Kenyan Minister of Public Health once described as ‘largely preventable’ causes such as poverty, lack of information, and inability to access health facilities because of distance or poor infrastructure.
“Through a network of Community Health Workers (CHWs), Ministry of Health (MOH) and AMPATH, we can take basic reproductive health, child health, family planning options and chronic disease management to the homestead,” said Dr. Sylvester Kimaiyo, AMPATH Program Manager.
Mr. Hillary Chebon, national Advocacy and Social Mobilization Officer, awards a Community Health Worker (CHW) with a certificate and bag. The bag— CHW kit—contains encounter forms, pregnancy kits and other materials that the CHWs will use when visiting homes.
The system uses Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs- usually a nurse or a public health officer) who supervise the CHWs. The CHWs role is to identify major health needs, educate and manage some conditions at household level and “link” or refer patients to a health facility when necessary.
The CHWs will go door-to-door monitoring pregnant women, the terminally ill, growth and nutrition of children under 5, and will advise on proper diet and sanitation. They will also be collecting health-related information which will be used in advising primary healthcare plans for government facilities.
AMPATH will act as the Government of Kenya’s (GOK) innovative arm and aims to develop a cost-effective model of implementing the Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH), which can later be adopted by all government health facilities.
Speaking when he officiated the launch of 290 CHWs in Eldoret, Mr. Hillary Chebon, head of Kenya’s National Community Strategy Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization Office, thanked AMPATH for its contribution in providing comprehensive healthcare services to the villages.
“The Government’s target is to establish 2,250 community units by 2012,” said Mr. Chebon. “Currently we have 998 that are operational in the country,” he added. In the agreement between AMPATH and the GOK, AMPATH is to work to create community units (groups of CHEWs and CHWs in certain locations) where none exists or where existing ones are inadequate.
AMPATH‘s Field Director Dr. Joe Mamlin affirmed that AMPATH is looking forward to working with the government on reducing mortality rates, diseases and disability rates in our catchment area.“There is no reason why anyone should lose their vision or a leg because of diabetes - it is preventable,” he said.
The inclusion of primary healthcare into AMPATH’s services comes when global funding administrators are calling for expanded focus on maternal and child health, reproductive health, preventable and chronic diseases. The GOK is also realizing that starting with preventable measures in the community will help ease the burden at their facilities. With the success of our community strategy, AMPATH will once again have led in creating a model that others can learn from and utilize.