The Bondeni Sub-County Hospital in Nakuru County has taken proactive steps towards improving the facility’s healthcare services and ensuring the community’s well-being. The Hospital Management Team today convened a quarterly meeting with the facility’s community health promoters to strategize and address pressing healthcare needs.
The focus of the meeting was to deliberate on crucial areas, including sensitizing the community on primary care networks, strengthening referrals, planning in-reach activities, and supporting groups for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
CECM Health Services Roselyn Mungai, present at the meeting, emphasized H.E Governor Susan Kihika’s dedication to prioritizing community healthcare. She highlighted the importance of community engagement and proactive measures in achieving tangible improvements in healthcare accessibility and quality.
With a clear focus on empowering residents and enhancing their well-being, the collaborative effort promises better healthcare for Bondeni residents, signaling a positive shift towards a healthier community.
At the beginning of this year the government commissioned 100,000 Community Health Care Promoters (CHP) whose role is to sensitize the community on the importance of healthy lifestyles, provide disease surveillance by reporting early signs of imminent health disaster emergencies.
Also, they are expected to enroll and monitor the health status of members of the households assigned to them, and render first aid to an assigned household and where necessary, make referrals to the link facility.
Bondeni area in Nakuru City has had a long, long history of volunteer health care workers, who mainly sprung up to support their community during the 1980-90s dark days of the HIV/Aids scourge that threatened to exterminate the residents.
The bravery of the volunteer health care workers attracted a lot of support from the American government and to date their leader Fatuma Abdi is celebrated as a protector of the community. And, no development takes place in the area without her involvement. However, there are many more women like her throughout the country who have always stood as beacons of hope for their communities and villagers, despite working for free.
By Veronica Bosibori
