Migori health outreaches and community health volunteers have been praised for improving medical access services in the community.
Migori Health Practitioner Andrew Amollo said that various health outreaches from Non-Governmental organisations together with community health volunteers have been providing health care services in remote places for easier community accessibility as well as organizing medical camps.
Amollo who spoke during a medical camp organized by well-wishers at Sigira village in Uriri Sub County said that delocalization of health services at village levels will help improve the health of the local residents as well as cut the transportation costs that patients incur while seeking medical services.
The medic noted that the county health department will continue to support health initiatives that aim to strengthen community health systems by bringing services closer to the people.
“Our elderly in society have mobility issues while the youths fear seeking reproductive health care in established health centers. The medical camps and health outreaches will help the county to address health issues affecting both the elderly and youths,” said Amollo.
Migori health promotion officer Edward Otieno acknowledged that organizing medical camps across the county will help many adolescents and youth access reproductive health services at the village level.
He explained that the majority of youth and teenagers shy away from visiting health facilities a key contributor that had seen the county record a high number of teenage pregnancies.
Otieno noted that the medical camps have been helping locals access screening medical services on life threatening diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension as well as providing healthier lifestyle information.
He asked well-wishers and grassroots political leaders to help spearhead health systems especially at local levels by supporting the community health volunteers as well as the medical camps and other health care providers.
Emily Madegwa, a community health volunteer said that the medical education camps will help teenagers’ access reproductive health care and provide health information for the adolescents.
She said that the Uriri sub county had been registering an increasing number of teenage pregnancies that prompted an open dialogue between community members and community health volunteers (CHVs) to air their medical challenges.
Madegwa affirmed that the medical camp initiative will help adolescents’ access reproductive information and sensitisation on their sexual health to improve their wellbeing.
Medical camps and other health initiatives like the Beyond Zero campaign in the county have been praised for bridging the health gaps and bringing together various professionals in the health sector as a way of giving back to the community.
By Geoffrey Makokha
