Turkana Chief Officer in charge of Preventive and Promotive Health Peter Lomorukai has said that there is a need for more engagement of communities in order to increase family planning services and reduce infant and maternal mortality.
Lomorukai said this during a three-day supportive supervision conducted by senior health officers in eleven dispensaries in Turkana Central and South Sub-counties. The supervision also looked at staff performance, infrastructure and quality of service provision.
The team also noted that more community dialogues were required to increase the uptake of family planning, antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and immunization.
Lomorukai was accompanied by Ms. Joyce Illikwel (Ag. Director Administration), Mr. Stephen Kangiro (Deputy Director, Alcohol and Substance Abuse) and Ms. Emmanuela Lomoro (Principal Administration).
According to WHO, primary healthcare aims to bring health and wellbeing services closer to communities. It is also regarded as the most inclusive, equitable and cost-effective way to achieve universal health coverage.
The dispensaries are the second level of the health care system, the team was keen to assess the linkage between the facilities and community health promoters.
Some of the other key areas the team looked into were the availability of essential medicines, renovations required, staff absenteeism, energy and water supply.
The dispensaries visited were Napetao, Loturerei, Locheremoit, Lochwangikamatak, Loperot, Lomeleku, Kang’akipur, Lokaburu, Kasuroi, Karoge and Nalemkais.
By Peter Gitonga
