Community Health Promoters Challenged To Be Proactive As Mass Net Distribution Process Ends

By Isabella Maua

Mt. Elgon Community Health Providers have been challenged to be competent in their service provision in the quest to ensure healthy and harmonious living in society.

Speaking during the mass mosquito net distribution post-mortem stakeholders meeting at Kapsokwony in Mt. Elgon Sub County, Nelly Chepkwemoi, the Sub County Community Health Strategy Coordinator, noted that most of the households missed nets due to CHPs incompetence and poor network.

“We received many complaints from certain specific areas, clearly pointing out that some CHPs did not live up to our expectations despite the intensive training we had before sending them to carry out the registration exercise,” observed Chepkwemoi.

Dr. Naftali Morei, the Sub County Malaria Coordinator, noted that despite the hiccups in the just concluded exercise, they managed to achieve about 97 percent of their target.

“Out of the targeted 16,411 registered households, we served 15,944, while for the 60,586 mosquito nets received, we have about 1500 remaining at our main distribution centers,” he reported.

The chiefs who attended the meeting emphasized the need for prior sensitization of the community whenever such exercises are about to take off.

“It will be prudent if the malaria coordination team works closely with the local administration so that we can walk with the CHPs to ensure loopholes are sealed in the future,” suggested Anthony Lawendi, area chief Kaptama.

Patrick Powon, Assistant County Commissioner for Kaptama, accentuated the need for more capacity-building training among the CHPs to ensure their efficacy in their duties to the community.

Zadock Mwanga, the Sub County Administrator, however, requested that the stakeholders deliberate with the donors so that the remaining mosquito nets could be distributed to the households that had not been captured.

“It won’t be fair to return the nets while our people here remain at risk of malaria infection because of incompetence or a poor network,” said Mwanga.