•   Tel : +2547 29 369 844
  •   mail : rmncahnetwork@gmail.com

 

On 25th, February 2024, Bungoma County witnessed a transformative event as the Community Health Promoters (CHPs) were equipped with essential kits from the Ministry of Health as a stride towards bolstering Primary Healthcare Services.

In the event that was facilitated by the esteemed Cabinet Secretary Dr. Susan Nakhumicha, the initiative marked a pivotal moment in advancing Community-based healthcare efforts and as a way to catalyze positive change in Bungoma’s healthcare landscape. CS Nakhumicha noted that the initiative was a sense of motivation and empowerment to the Community Health Promoters as they play a critical role in fostering health awareness and ensuring access to basic healthcare services at the grassroots level.

This initiative underscores a wider commitment to strengthening Primary Healthcare (PHC) and by equipping the CHPs with the tools and resources that they need; they will be able to conduct health outreach programs and easily engage with the community members in disseminating vital health information. This will then facilitate earlier detections of health issues, promote preventive measures and encourage health-seeking behavior among community members.

On teen pregnancy, CS Nakhumicha reaffirmed her support towards ending the cases in the County noting that the perpetrators who get involved with the teenagers should be harshly dealt with by the law. According to Kenya Demographic and Health Survey(KDHS) in 2023, the teen pregnancy rate in Bungoma County was at 19% surpassing the national rate which was at 15%. She called upon Members of Parliament to bring about motions in the National Assembly on policies and bills that can help to address the teen pregnancy issue and also encouraged male involvement in fighting the menace.

Her sentiments were echoed by the area MP John Makali who acknowledged that the issue has been a bother in the County saying that he regrets that his constituency posted the highest number of teen pregnancies in the recent report. He called upon the stakeholder to work closely to avert the disaster.

RMNCAH Network attributes the rising numbers in teen pregnancies to insufficient information on Sexual Reproductive Health among youths and also lack of enough Youth friendly Centres and services. The Networks therefore calls upon the County Government to allocate more funds for the construction of more centers across all the Sub-County Hospitals and offer trainings to health care providers on Youth Friendly Services.

The Network also calls upon the Ministry of Health and Bungoma County to increase investment in Primary Health Care to support regular mentorships and trainings, and also to support supervisions to the Community Health Promoters to enhance service delivery and facility referrals at the community level.

The County should prioritize monitoring and evaluation for Primary Health Care program across facilities. RMNCAH Network applauds the County for being the first in Kenya to launch Vital Signs Profile (VSP)tool as a measurement tool for PHC indicators. The Department of Health should create awareness to health care providers and members of the community on VSP tool and its relevance, which can be done through multisector approach, involving relevant stakeholders.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We use cookies to give you the best experience. Cookie Policy