In order to elevate the standard of healthcare provision, it is imperative to bolster the capabilities of community health workers. In pursuit of this goal, the Ministry of Health’s State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards, in collaboration with the Kenya Red Cross, has embarked on a significant endeavor—a three-day microplanning workshop held in Naivasha.
The primary objective of this workshop is multifaceted. Firstly, it seeks to evaluate the current status of community health programs across Kenya, scrutinizing their implementation and effectiveness. Moreover, it endeavors to pinpoint and chart out the landscape of key local stakeholders engaged in community health initiatives, thereby fostering robust collaboration among them. Lastly, the workshop endeavors to coalesce the insights gleaned into a comprehensive national strategy for the expansion and enhancement of the community health workers’ program, particularly through the auspices of the REACH initiative.
Inaugurating this crucial three-day workshop on March 11, 2024, Dr. Joseph Lenai, the Acting Director of Primary Health Care, underscored its significance in the broader context of healthcare delivery within the nation.
At the heart of this endeavor lies the REACH initiative—a visionary collaborative effort spanning the African continent. With an ambitious goal to bolster healthcare infrastructure and accessibility, the initiative aims to substantially augment the cadre of community health workers to an impressive total of 2 million individuals continent-wide.
Championed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the REACH initiative represents a concerted effort by Ministries of Health across all 55 AU member states. Together with their respective National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, these entities will spearhead the implementation of this groundbreaking initiative, with the ultimate aim of fortifying healthcare systems and improving health outcomes across the continent.