• The kits consist of a backpack carrier bag, a first aid box and a jacket to be won by the CHPs for ease of identification while in the community.
• Kenyans will no longer need to travel to a health facility for basic screening and the treatment of minor ailments.
Image: MOH
President William Ruto on Monday flagged off 100,000 test kits to be used by Community Health Promoters (CHP).
The kits will play a vital role in the government’s preventive and promotive health approach that seeks to arrest diseases at community level before they occur.
Inside the kit are a number of items which will facilitate the CHPs to deal with people in the communities.
The kits consist of a backpack carrier bag, a first aid box and a jacket to be won by the CHPs for ease of identification while in the community.
It also contains a weighing scale, an infrared clinical thermometer for contact free measurement of temperature, muac tape measure for children and a mid-upper arm circumference muac tape measure for adults and Elastoplast for minor wounds and infection prevention.
MUAC tapes are mainly used to measure the upper arm circumference of children but also of pregnant women to help identify cases of malnutrition.
In addition, they have a scale to take the weights and pressure taking machines to be able to pick any possible cases of diabetes and blood pressure for a quicker referral.
The CHPs will also be equipped with simple drugs as pain relievers to administer to patients who might have minor ailments but do not necessarily need to be referred to hospital.
Basically, Kenyans will no longer need to travel to a health facility for basic screening and the treatment of minor ailments.
“Health facilities in the form of these kits, and the community healthcare workers who shall operate them, shall go to Kenyans and serve them at their homes,” Ruto said.
The team of dedicated 100,000 dedicated CHPs who will officially be unveiled on Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kericho next month, will each be responsible for 100 households.
Health CS Susan Nakhumicha on Monday said 10 CHPs will be tasked with 100 households giving a total of 1,000 households which will in turn form a Community Health Unit.
The ministry has established approximately 10,000 Community Health Units which are a part of a larger Primary Care Network (PCN).
“By placing emphasis on preventive and promotive healthcare services, we are sure we can achieve early diagnosis and ensure timely referrals are made when needed, right from the bottom,” Nakhumicha said.
This means that each unit is linked to a specific level two health facility (commonly known as a dispensary) and a level three health facility (commonly known as a health center).
These facilities are mapped to level four facilities, such as Subcounty or County hospitals, creating a hub-and-spoke model where the level four facility serves as the central point.