Health minister passes out over 160 CHEWs in Lira City

LIRA– A total of 164 Community Health Extension Workers [ CHEWs ] in Lira City and the district have been passed out after undergoing a six-month intensive training on community health.

Health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng who is also Lira City Woman MP passed out the team on Sunday at Uganda Martyr`s University Study Centre in Ngetta, Lira City East Division.

Minister Aceng said the CHEWs will help to promote health practices that help prevent community members from catching diseases.

“I want to appeal to you to return to the parishes and carry out door-to-door sensitisation on health promotion, prevention of diseases, and create model homes,” she said.

She said they would be paid a monthly allowance and also work closely with the village health team [VHT] members.

She added that the community health extension workers will be based in parishes and shall be supervised by health workers.

“Unlike the Village health team members who are deployed in a group of four per village but CHEWs will have only two per parish,” she added.

She added that since most diseases are preventable, the CHEWs would be responsible for identifying health challenges within the community and reporting them on time.

Dr Patrick Ocen, the district health officer said CHEWs shall help to support VHTs because the VHTs did not go through intensive training and some are already growing old.

https://thecooperator.news/community-health-workers-raise-rwf14-billion-in-assets/

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