President William Ruto has announced a significant welfare package for Community Health Promoters (CHPs), as part of efforts to strengthen Kenya\u2019s primary healthcare system and accelerate the delivery of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).<\/p>\n
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during an engagement with nearly 8,000 Community Health Promoters from the capital, the President confirmed that the National Government will cover the Social Health Authority (SHA) premiums for all CHPs, costing Ksh390 million, with county governments expected to contribute a matching amount.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeginning this month, the Government will pay your SHA premiums. Those who dedicate themselves to the health of the nation must also enjoy the dignity of health cover for themselves and their families.\u201d President Ruto stated<\/p>\n
He further announced that CHPs would receive new smartphones and medical kits to enhance service delivery and bolster digital community healthcare.<\/p>\n
The President described Community Health Promoters as the bedrock of Kenya\u2019s primary healthcare system, highlighting their crucial role as an indispensable link between citizens and healthcare services by delivering preventive healthcare directly to households.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunity Health Promoters are the first point of contact between Kenyans and their health system. Long before a patient reaches a dispensary, a health centre, or a hospital, they meet you first at the door, in the compound, at the kitchen table,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
He noted that Kenya\u2019s healthcare reforms have intentionally shifted the national focus from treating illness to preventing disease through community-based interventions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough UHC reforms and the strengthening of primary healthcare, we have deliberately shifted Kenya\u2019s healthcare model from one that treats illness to one that prevents it, from hospitals waiting for patients to promoters walking to households,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
President Ruto reaffirmed the Government\u2019s commitment to improving the working conditions of Community Health Promoters, assuring that investments would extend beyond financial support.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether with county governments, we will continue strengthening sustainable remuneration for Community Health Promoters. We will continue investing in your training and professional development. We will continue digitising community health services, and we will continue equipping you with the commodities and job aids you need to serve safely and effectively.\u201d He pledged,<\/p>\n
The President reported substantial progress since the programme\u2019s launch in October 2023. Over 107,000 Community Health Promoters have been recruited nationwide, and approximately 9.4 million households, representing more than 30 million Kenyans, have been enrolled on the electronic Community Health Information System.<\/p>\n
He commended Nairobi\u2019s Community Health Promoters for their contribution to preventive healthcare. They have registered 810,590 households on the digital platform, achieving 54 per cent of the county\u2019s target, and have conducted routine household visits to over 766,000 homes.<\/p>\n
According to the President, Nairobi\u2019s CHPs have performed nearly 2.7 million diabetes screenings for approximately 943,000 people, resulting in almost 30,000 referrals for further treatment. They have also conducted over 2.16 million hypertension screenings for more than 743,000 people, referring nearly 50,000 patients to health facilities.<\/p>\n
The health workers have additionally assessed over 1.13 million children under the age of five for malnutrition, diarrhoea, malaria, and pneumonia.<\/p>\n
President Ruto emphasised the impact of these efforts, stating, \u201cThose are not mere statistics. Those are diseases caught early, mothers guided to safe deliveries, and children protected before illness takes hold. That is what prevention looks like when it is delivered household by household.\u201d<\/p>\n
Describing community health as a strategic pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, the President affirmed that Community Health Promoters would remain central to implementing Universal Health Coverage by supporting household registration under SHA, promoting preventive healthcare, and facilitating referrals to health facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not simply supporting healthcare reform. You are leading it from the frontlines,\u201d he said while assuring the health workers of continued government support.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo our Community Health Promoters, I wish to let you know that the Government believes in you. The people of Kenya appreciate you. Your work is transforming lives, and your contribution will remain central to Kenya\u2019s journey towards Universal Health Coverage,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
The post Ruto pledges enhanced welfare for community health promoters<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President William Ruto has announced a significant welfare package for Community Health Promoters (CHPs), as part of efforts to strengthen Kenya\u2019s primary healthcare system and accelerate the delivery of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during an engagement with nearly 8,000 Community Health Promoters from the capital, the President confirmed that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147972\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}