• Governor Kahiga said CHVs will be instrumental in addressing the stigma currently associated with Covid-19 and general mental well-being of those affected.
• The CHVs underwent a 10-day training and will be expected to equip the community with the knowledge.
The Nyeri government has dispatched community health volunteers to fight Covid-19 stigma among residents.
Governor Mutahi Kahiga said the CHVs will be instrumental in addressing the stigma that is associated with the virus and general mental well-being of those affected.
The CHVs underwent 10-day training and will be expected to equip the community with the knowledge. They have also been empowered to champion Covid-19 prevention and contact tracing.
Kahiga made the announcement outside his offices on Tuesday during the launch of the Nyeri Community Health Covid-19 prevention programme. He said between Tuesday and Friday, the county will have equipped 2,510 CHVs with the necessary working kits.
The kits include identification bags, jackets and badges, T-shirts, first-aid kits, sanitiser, extra masks, computer tablets for data collection, blood pressure and blood sugar level monitoring machines.
“We shall not give machines [blood sugar and BP testing machines] to everyone of them but we shall give them in clusters within a ward because they are a little bit expensive,” Kahiga said.
The CHVs have in the past been engaged in taking care of the health needs of the people at household level by creating health awareness, tracking immunisation defaulters and monitoring pregnant women for any danger signs during pregnancy.
Others include treating minor ailments, screening for non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension and linking patients to care.
“Our CHVs have been well-trained on the various community modules and are equipped to perform their roles at the community and household level,” the county chief said.
“As a county, we aspire to progressively shift our main focus from ill-health and hospitals, to communities and empowering families to take charge of their own health.”
He said it is worth noting that during the Universal Health Coverage pilot phase, Nyeri county was rated best in establishment and functionality of community units.
Nyeri was among four counties selected to pilot the UHC. The others were Machakos, Kisumu and Isiolo counties.
The governor said there has been an upsurge of Covid-19 infections following the lifting of restriction of movement in hotspot counties.
On Tuesday, 19 coronavirus cases were reported in Nyeri raising the tally from 28 to 47 in the county. Of the 19, 12 were doctors from a private hospital.
Edited by A.N