Laikipia County Community Health Strategy 2021–2025.

Abstract

Community health is the first level of service delivery within the six-tiered health system. According to the Kenya Community Health Strategy (2021–2025), community health services are provided within a community health unit (CHU) by a community health workforce composed of Community Health Committees (CHC), Community Health Assistant (CHA) and Community Health Volunteers (CHVs). The services offered at level 1 (community) are majorly preventive and promotive with little or no basic curative services. Since 2012, Laikipia County has invested in Community Health Strategy resulting in a significant impact on health systems, employment, economy, and quality of life of Laikipia. However, a recent situational analysis conducted by the Laikipia Health Service and Financing Alliance of Health highlighted gaps in the implementation of the community health strategy that risk eroding the gains made mainly due to inadequate community health financing. The program is also plagued by inadequate supply of essential equipment and supplies, uncoordinated field supervision of CHVs, inadequate training for CHVs and missed or delayed opportunities for the provision of essential services due to insufficient CHVs capacity. Despite the challenges, the program has increased access to health services and has recently been essential in sensitisation and enrolment of residents to the NHIF hence making an important contribution towards Universal Health Coverage.