KCCA, MINISTRY OF HEALTH BEGIN ROLLOUT OF CHEWs PROGRAMME IN KAMPALA

For many Kampala residents, healthcare is often sought-after illness has already occurred. A new government programme aims to change this by bringing health services closer to communities through prevention, early detection and health promotion.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and the Ministry of Health have started preparations to roll out the Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) programme in the city, aimed at strengthening primary healthcare and improving access to essential health services.

The partnership was announced Friday during an entry meeting at City Hall, where Ministry of Health officials met KCCA’s political, administrative and technical leadership to discuss implementation of the programme.

The meeting was attended by Ministry of Health Director General Health Services Dr. Charles Olaro, Commissioner for Health Promotion and Education Dr. Richard Kabanda, and KCCA Director Public Health and Environment Dr. Sarah Zalwango.

Dr. Olaro said the programme will strengthen Uganda’s healthcare system by focusing more on prevention and community participation.

“Primary healthcare is the foundation of our health system. These are the first people who interact with communities at the village level,” Olaro said.

He said success would not only be measured by the number of people treated in hospitals, but also by illnesses prevented and families protected from unnecessary healthcare costs.

“We want to measure our success not by the number of people who have gone to hospital, but by the people we have prevented from falling sick and those who have saved money because they did not need healthcare services,” he said.

Olaro said strong collaboration between the Ministry, KCCA and communities will be key to the programme’s success.

CHEWs are trained and paid frontline health workers established by the Ministry of Health to bridge the gap between households and health facilities.

They will support disease prevention, health promotion, community-based surveillance, early detection of public health threats and referrals to health facilities.

The programme builds on the work of Village Health Teams (VHTs) by creating a formal cadre of trained health workers to work within communities.

The Ministry said CHEWs have already been introduced in districts including Lira, Mayuge, Jinja and Mbale, with support from development partners.

In Kampala, two CHEWs will be selected from each parish and undergo six months of training before deployment to their communities.

The workers will collaborate with VHTs and health facilities to implement government health programmes and strengthen links between residents and healthcare providers.

Applicants must have completed Senior Four, be residents of the communities they will serve and be accepted by local residents. New entrants should be aged between 22 and 35 years, while active VHTs and other trained community health workers may be considered up to 40 years.

They must also be able to read and write in English and communicate in the local language.

Dr. Zalwango said the partnership with Ministry of Health will ensure the programme responds to Kampala’s unique urban health needs.

The rollout is part of government’s wider efforts to strengthen preventive healthcare and reduce illnesses through early intervention, community awareness and improved access to health information.

By Geofrey Mutegeki Araali

Communication and Media Relations Officer