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Siaya County Referral Hospital. The county is seeking to improve household visitation coverage. [File, Standard]
Siaya County Government has launched a fresh drive to strengthen community health services through enhanced supervision of frontline health workers following concerns over low household visitation rates that have slowed progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The initiative, being implemented by the Department of Health Services with support from Lwala Community Alliance, seeks to improve the quality of community health services by equipping supervisors with practical skills to mentor and monitor Community Health Promoters (CHPs).
The county is conducting a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on 360-Degree Supportive Supervision targeting members of the County Health Management Team, Sub-County Community Health Strategy Focal Persons and Community Health Assistants (CHAs), who will in turn train other health workers across the county.
Speaking during the opening of the training, Chief Officer for Health Samuel Owino said household visitation coverage in the county currently stands at only 30 per cent, underscoring the need for renewed commitment by the community health workforce.
"I am optimistic that this training will offer us an opportunity to redeem ourselves and improve our provision of community health services in the community," said Dr Omondi.
Director of Public Health Kennedy Oruenjo said quality data collected by Community Health Promoters is critical in guiding planning and allocation of health resources.
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He urged supervisors to ensure vulnerable households receive priority during routine visits, saying no family in need should be left behind.
The training covers Kenya's healthcare delivery framework, the Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH) life-cycle approach and the roles and responsibilities of Community Health Promoters.
Participants are also being trained on principles of 360-degree supportive supervision, including continuous mentorship, performance monitoring, supportive feedback and accountability to improve service delivery.
Other areas include identifying performance gaps within Community Health Units, household visitation strategies, supervision and assessment tools, use of the electronic Community Health Information System (e-CHIS), key performance indicators, data analytics and evidence-based decision-making.
The programme also includes mentorship techniques, reflective practice, professional development planning and practical field exercises where participants will apply supervision tools during household visits.
Dr Omondi added that the trainees will develop action plans to guide implementation across all sub-counties, with the knowledge expected to be cascaded to other Community Health Assistants.
"We are looking forward to improving household visitation, strengthening data quality, enhancing accountability and ensuring CHPs receive the support needed to deliver quality primary healthcare services at the household level," he explained.
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