The Ministry of Health has officially passed out 202 Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) in Luwero district, in a ceremony held on Monday at the district headquarters.
The training and equipping of the CHEWs was made possible with support from the World Bank through the Uganda COVID-19 Response and Emergency Preparedness Project (UCREPP).
The ceremony was presided over by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine, who congratulated the CHEWs on their successful completion of the program.
In her speech, Dr. Atwine acknowledged the health challenges faced in Luwero district, particularly the high burden of malaria and maternal health issues.
“Luwero has many people coming with Malaria in our health facilities. About 27% of OPD cases constitute Malaria cases. 39% of mothers deliver out of health facilities and this is worrying. We want to see the leadership take health seriously. We should take pride in so many people being healthy, clean and productive not being in hospitals,” she said.
Dr. Atwine further emphasized that improving healthcare delivery in Uganda goes beyond funding and infrastructure.
“No amount of money will change the service delivery until human beings are fixed. We need to fix us,” she noted.
She encouraged the newly passed out CHEWs to serve their communities with dedication and compassion.
“God has picked you to be His hands and His feet to transform the health of the households,“ Atwine said.
According to Dr. Richard Kabanda, Director of Health Promotion, the CHEWs initiative is part of a wider effort to strengthen community health systems. He revealed that, on average, 40% of the CHEWs trained are existing Village Health Team (VHT) members.
“Luwero is our 2nd district under World Bank where we are passing out CHEWs. As of today, the CHEWs program is scaled up to 30 districts. To date, a total of 4016 CHEWs have been trained and are deployed,” Kabanda said.
He added that the foundation of improved health outcomes lies in empowering communities.
“We are here today in Luwero to equip the CHEWs with what they will use as we officially pass them out,” he noted.
As part of their deployment, the CHEWs were given bicycles and other tools to facilitate their work in communities. From Luwero, the Ministry of Health also proceeded to pass out a new cohort of CHEWs in neighboring Nakasongola district.
Dr. Atwine urged the public to engage with the CHEWs and utilize the knowledge and tools they bring, especially in health education, disease prevention, and early screening for non-communicable diseases and other conditions.
