Former water principal secretary Wairagu Wa Maai has pledged to employ more than 3,000 community health workers on a contractual basis if elected Murang’a governor.
Wa Maai said CHVs have been struggling to support themselves and their families despite being depended on by many residents.
Wa Maai spoke while meeting the volunteers at Maragua on Thursday.
He noted that the volunteers are also inadequately facilitated to handle the many cases that are brought to them.
“Volunteers play a key role in promoting community health as they get to attend to the vulnerable in their homes,” he said.
He said the volunteers rarely get the facilitation that they were promised by the county.
His administration, he said, will also facilitate them with the necessary equipment to do their work.
A month ago, the community health workers received hypertension monitoring devices from gubernatorial candidate Jamleck Kamau.
But Wa Maai promised to provide them with identity badges, reflector jackets, pens and books to ease their work and identification.
He said he will work with CHVs to ensure the elderly, disabled and vulnerable persons are treated in their homes to reduce the congestion of patients at health facilities.
According to him, preventive health care significantly reduces the burden of disease as it ensures diseases are controlled early before they progress into bigger problems.
"CHVs help to monitor and test people suffering from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and should be included in the payroll," he said.
“To upgrade health care services in Murang’a, there is a need to support the volunteers better to help them do their work."
He also pledged to help form a Sacco for the volunteers to empower them in acquiring cheap credit. He promised to support Sacco with Sh20 million to help it take off.
Wa Maai pledged to ensure hospitals are provided with sufficient drugs to ensure each subcounty has a Level 4 hospital.
The former PS is contesting against six candidates including Irungu Kang’ata (UDA), Jamleck Kamau (Jubilee), Joseph Mbai (Usawa Kwa Wote), Henry Maina (Independent), Irungu Nyakera (Farmers’ Party) and Moses Mwangi (Safina).
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
