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Kwale community health promoters get bicycles for easier movement

Community health promoters (CHPs) in Kwale County receive bicycles at the county headquarters on April 2, 2024. (Photo: Mishi Gongo)

By Mishi Gongo | Tuesday, April 2, 2024

The CHPs advocate for underserved individuals or communities to receive services and resources to address health needs.

More than 100 community health promoters (CHPs) in Kwale County have been issued bicycles to enable their swift mobility while on duty.

Kwale has 1671 CHPs, divided into 168 Community Health Units (CHUs), which advocate for underserved individuals or communities to receive services and resources to address health needs.

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Community health promoters (CHPs) are pictured with their newly-acquired bicycles at the Kwale County headquarters on April 2, 2024. (Photo: Mishi Gongo)

They were given the bicycles under the AMREF-World Bicycle Relief Community Health Promoters Motility Program at the county headquarters on Tuesday.

Speaking at the flagging-off ceremony, Kwale County Secretary Sylvia Chidodo said the county has made key strides in ensuring health services are enhanced at the grassroots level.

"CHPs have become an integral part of the country's health system. At the grassroots level, they disseminate vital information on nutrition and hygiene, while championing general disease prevention measures," Widodo said.

She added that by addressing health challenges right in the villages, these health promoters contribute significantly to reducing the burden on the overall healthcare system.

Community health promoters (CHPs) are pictured at the Kwale County headquarters on April 2, 2024, when they received bicycles for use in their work. (Photo: Mishi Gongo)

Chidodo further reported that they have strengthened health services by equipping the CHPs with tools such as medical kits and digital mobile phones for data collection reported in the Afya Nyumbani Dashboard, monthly stipends, and bicycles to encounter mobility challenges across the county.

The CHPs have been acting as a bridge to connect locals to the health centres, she said, adding that the CHPs are close to the community so it is they who identify problems before medical doctors".

Kwale County Secretary Sylvia Chidodo addresses community health promoters (CHPs) at the headquarters on April 2, 2024. (Photo: Mishi Gongo)

Chidodo noted the lack of access to health facilities in some areas because of long distances and high transport costs.

"If we take this service to the people, we have a higher chance of saving lives," she said.

County Health executive Francis Gwama and his Public Service Administration and Agriculture counterparts, Karuwa Tsiwezi and Roman Shera, respectively, and chief officers Mjimba (curative) and Athman Mwashando (preventive) also attended the event.