Over 100 health promoters trained to enhance healthcare delivery and registration in Laikipia

MUTURI MWANGI- KNA 

The Ministry of Health, in partner ship with the Kenya Red Cross Society, has kicked off the training of more than 100 community health promoters (CHPs) in Laikipia to enhance efficient health service delivery at the grassroots level. 

Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Muthoni Muriuki, speaking in Nanyuki during the 10 day training, noted that the CHPs will ensure that the 161,000 households in Laikipia are registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA). 

“Laikipia has a population of 161,000 house holds, and we want to ensure they are all registered with the Social Health Authority, as it is important for everyone to be part of this system (SHA),” the PS said. 

She emphasized that CHPs play a critical role in registering people into the new health system, highlighting the need to support them in this task. 

The PS also encouraged residents to enroll in the SHA initiative to enable them to access medical services without challenges, revealing that no patient would be turned away from any health facility as the government continues to streamline the health fund sector. 

“I have seen in the media that people are saying they have not received services, and we are asking all facilities not to deny anyone treatment. 

If there are issues that need to be sorted out, they should not drag any patient into that issue,” the PS warned. 

Additionally, she pointed out that SHA has more benefits as com pared to the defunct National Health Insurance Fund since it covers emergency chronic and critical illnesses among other benefits for instance Linda Mama which she said had been enhanced. 

“SHA is bigger and better, there are more benefits than there were in the NHIF. It covers three funds, the Primary Health Care, Social Health Insurance Fund and Emergency Chronic and Critical Fund,” the PS noted. 

Peter Kamau, a Nanyuki-based community health promoter since 2011 noted that community health had improved through their services which include referring patients to hospitals and monitoring pregnant women until their due dates. 

“We have registered a lot of people at the household level and the government has facilitated us including provision of phones which we use to collect data for submission to the health minis try dashboard,” Kamau noted. 

He said their work entails health promotion and prevention care at the grassroot level to ensure a community free of ail ments.