- The Bill seeks to create Community Health Workers Council of Kenya.
- All community health workers will be registered after training.
Image: FILE
A Member of Parliament has proposed a law change to recognise community health workers and have them entrenched in the government as basic health providers at the grassroots.
The Community Health Workers Bill, 2022 sponsored by Ndhiwa lawmaker Martin Owino seeks amongst other things to expand the government payroll to include community health providers who are currently serving as volunteers with no regular stipend.
The proposed law also provides a legal regime for the recognition of community health services and their remuneration.
Under the new proposed law, the workers will be entitled to a monthly stipend for the role they play in ensuring that the common man in the villages accesses the required health services.
The community health workers, Owino noted, play a crucial role in helping Kenyans at the grassroots where healthcare is not well established.
“However, despite their important role, most of these workers are volunteers and if lucky, are only paid allowances,” read part of the Bill.
“It is therefore important to develop a framework for their recognition and regulation so that they are entrenched in the government like other professionals.”
The proposal further seeks the establishment of the Community Health Workers Council of Kenya to regulate the workers.
The Council will also maintain the register and keep a record of all registered community health workers as well as advise the Cabinet Secretary on community health matters.
“The Council shall establish a professional code and supervise the professional conduct and practice of community health workers,” the Bill adds.
The Council shall consist of the Director General of Health or his representative, head of primary healthcare from the ministry, Director of Education, registered community health nurse nominated by the Nursing Council of Kenya and one lecturer in community health nominated by Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).
The Council will also have Registrar as an ex-officio member.
The law also provides for the training, registration and licensing of community health workers.
To be qualified as a Community Health worker, one will be required to possess a certificate in Community Health, Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, Community HIV Counseling and Testing, Immunization, Community Development and Health Education.
The law gives those currently performing the functions of community health workers one year to undertake the courses.
The second-term lawmaker argues in the proposal that the issue of health care is demanding especially in the villages and thus needs to be given special attention.
“The community Health Workers is important as this is the health personnel who deals directly with the community. The Community health worker knows the homesteads in the area he or she lives in and is familiar with the language of the people,” the Bill states.
“By going door to door, they are able to know the people in need of various health care services. They thus help in preventive healthcare.”
This is not the first time there is a push to have community health workers to be recognized and remunerated.
In the 12th Parliament, then-nominated Senator Agnes Zani sponsored a Bill - Community Health Services – to have the healthcare providers enlisted in the county government payroll.