Nairobi, Kenya Sep 25 – President William Ruto has today flagged off community health promoters kit at Uhuru Park Nairobi.
Speaking at the event the president said that the government is committed to employ community health promoters as a critical component of the national primary healthcare in addition to 20,000 healthcare workers to bring the ratio of healthcare workers to the population to 23 to 10,000 as recommended by the world health organization.
Ruto affirmed that the community health system has support from both levels of government. ‘’Our community health system has received strong support from both levels of the government, providing an opportunity to showcase a transformed approach to collaboration between the national and county governments,’’ said president.
The president pointed out that Kenyans will now be attended to at their homes by fully-trained, home-grown community health promoters, who shall be supervised by qualified healthcare workers with each promoter mandated to serve 100 homes and will be provided with basic equipment for household health screening.
Over 100,000 community health promoters kits will be provided by the national government through the ministry of health together with smartphones to make them reachable and to enable them to transmit and receive necessary information, instruction and advice.
On payment the national and county governments will co share the responsibility for the remuneration of health promoters who will work in the 47 counties.
The president said by launching the essential kits, the country has made a bold step towards winning the nation’s long-standing struggle for freedom from disease.
‘’This is our celebration of critical victories in this struggle, victory for citizen wellbeing and freedom from disease,’’ he said.
Ruto further said that Kenyans will no longer need to travel to a health facility for basic screening and the treatment of minor ailments, instead, health facilities in the form of these kits, and the community healthcare workers shall serve them at their homes.
Finally the president urged the community health promoters and healthcare workers to serve Kenyans with zeal and motivation and to be compassionate, respectful, gentle and thoroughly professional.
