By Jack Ohito, DevReporter, Siaya County
Key Highlights
- Siaya County faces significant health challenges, including exceptionally high rates of malaria and HIV compared to national averages, as reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Community Health Promoters (CHPs) play a critical role in bridging the gap between hospitals and villages.
- CHPs face significant challenges, including low stipends and the burden of caring for impoverished patients who struggle to afford even basic meals.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Siaya County is grappling with serious health issues, particularly high rates of malaria and HIV that exceed national averages,. As of 2016, morbidity rates stood at 44% for all genders and 47% for females.
In addition to infectious diseases, the county struggles with child and maternal health challenges, including stunting, as well as low rates of skilled birth attendance.
Geographic and financial barriers further hinder access to healthcare, exacerbated by a shortage of medical professionals.
Battling Malaria and More
Community Health Promoters (CHPs) play a vital role in Siaya County by delivering essential primary healthcare services such as health education, disease screening, and management.
They also provide referrals to healthcare facilities for non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
CHPs enhance maternal and child health through Antenatal Care (ANC) and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) initiatives, ensuring household health coverage and acting as a crucial link between communities and formal healthcare systems.
Additionally, CHPs support malaria management through patient follow-ups and health education, collecting data via mobile apps to strengthen health system responses.
In an interview with RB News, Beryl Achieng, a mother of three, highlighted the invaluable services of CHPs.
“When I was expecting my third child, the local CHP visited me, measured my blood pressure, checked for malaria, and provided essential information.”
Lucy Adhiambo shared her appreciation for CHPs when her son fell ill.
“I am grateful for how passionately CHPs perform their duties. My son was very sick one night, and the local CHP walked through the dark just to help him.”
Unsung Heroes
Beryl Achieng appreciates the county government’s efforts to equip CHPs with essential supplies.
Currently, CHPs receive medication for treating malaria, diabetes, and hypertension, along with protective gear like gloves and masks, aligning with universal health coverage goals.
The primary Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related to health is SDG 3: good health and well-being, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for people of all ages by 2030.
Key targets of the SDG goal include reducing maternal and child mortality, ending epidemics like AIDS and malaria, controlling non-communicable diseases, ensuring access to affordable medicines and vaccines, achieving universal health coverage, and reducing deaths from road accidents.
Beryl adds, “The CHP comes and diagnoses the type of malaria, measures my body temperature, and even recommends which medications I should take. If the condition is severe, they sometimes refer me to a local health centre by filling out a referral form.”
The Silent Struggle of Siaya CHPs
In a conversation with Lorraine Ochieng, whose mother serves as a Community Health Promoter (CHP), RB News learns that CHPs face significant challenges, including low stipends and the burden of caring for impoverished patients who struggle to afford even basic meals. Lorraine highlights that poverty is a recurring issue her mother frequently mentions.
“My mother is a CHP, and perhaps the work is a calling for her. She earns very little, receives inadequate feedback from referred patients, and often tells us that she uses her own money to provide food for those in need.”
Dr. Fredrick Otieno, an expert in governance and financial law, criticises the government for failing to implement the devolution of finances and services as mandated by Chapter 11 of the Kenyan 2010 Constitution, which states;
“Every county government shall decentralise its functions and the provision of its services to the extent that it is efficient and practicable to do so.”
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