Turkana County currently ranks 15th nationwide in terms of established Primary Care Networks, indicating positive progress toward the County Government’s commitment to providing universal healthcare.
The county has rolled out seven Primary Care Networks (PCNs), with four more yet to be established in the remaining sub-counties of Aroo, Suguta, Turkana East, and Turkana South.
The Primary Care Network (PCN) is a strategic approach developed by the National Government to establish connections between health facilities and the community, thereby promoting a seamless approach to delivering primary healthcare (PHC). Strengthening PHC is crucial for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
This achievement was revealed at a PCN status update meeting organized by the County Department of Health and Sanitation, supported by AMREF Health Africa in Kenya, with various health stakeholders in attendance.
Speaking at the meeting, Director for Medical Services Ekiru Kidalio urged stakeholders to be inclusive and to build the capacity of Community Health Workers – community health promoters (CHPs) and assistants (CHAs) – to enhance and standardize PHC service delivery.
“The department will recruit and train CHWs to deliver PHC services, enhancing capacity building and advocating for community sensitization on the importance of PHC,” he said.
Director for Family Health, Gabriel Lopodo, pointed out that the PHC framework ensures that quality primary healthcare services are available and accessible to the population.
“With the establishment of PCNs, we can expand access to quality PHC and intensify PCN rollout to achieve UHC as per the National requirement,” he said.
Deputy Director for Primary Healthcare, Peter Ekope, stated that the health department is scaling up PCN implementation and will employ strategic communication and advocacy tools to guide PHC/PCN efforts moving forward.
Present at the meeting were County Health Management Teams, as well as partner representatives from AMREF Health Africa in Kenya, Kenya Red Cross Society, World Vision Kenya, Feed the Children, WeltHungerHilfe Kenya, and CONCERN Worldwide.
By Peter Gitonga
