The Ministry of Health Uganda has commissioned 210 Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) in Rukungiri District in a move aimed at bridging the gap between communities and health facilities while strengthening disease prevention at the grassroots level.
The newly trained health workers, drawn from 105 parishes across the district, completed six months of intensive training and are now set to begin community-based work focused on improving household health, sanitation, and disease surveillance.
The commissioning ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, and attended by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, Mary Borgman, Director of the Global Health Diplomacy Office at the United States Embassy in Uganda, and other senior health officials including Dr. Charles Oralo.
Speaking at the ceremony, Aceng described the CHEWs programme as a major national investment designed to strengthen primary healthcare by ensuring health services begin at the household level.
“This programme of CHEWs is a huge investment for the entire country to ensure there is a bridge between families and the health facilities, but most importantly that we prevent diseases before they occur,” Aceng said.
She congratulated the 210 health workers on completing the six-month training and commended their discipline throughout the programme, reaffirming government commitment to strengthening primary healthcare systems across the country.
Aceng also urged the newly commissioned health workers to prioritize community engagement rather than spending most of their time at health facilities.
“You are not supposed to spend all your time in the health facilities but rather in the communities interacting with people and educating them,” she said.
The minister emphasized the importance of accurate health data, urging the CHEWs to ensure they understand the health status of every household in their assigned communities, including ensuring that children receive routine immunization services.
She further directed them to work closely with Village Health Teams (VHTs) to strengthen collaboration at the community level.
“When you are moving door to door, treat our people with respect. Then we will achieve our aim of having a healthy and productive society,” Aceng added.
Rukungiri District Health Officer, Dr. Kasima Muchunguzi, said the CHEWs will play a key role in implementing pillar four of the Parish Development Model, which focuses on improving social services.
“These CHEWs are going to help us implement pillar number four on social services of the Parish Development Model. They will help us conduct home visits, educate families on how to look after their health, ensure sanitation in homes is maintained, and teach communities how to prevent disease,” Muchunguzi said.
The health workers have been trained in several critical areas including immunization, environmental health and hygiene, maternal and child health, nutrition, and disease surveillance.
To support their work in communities, the CHEWs have been equipped with tools such as tablets for data recording and submission, blood pressure machines, pulse oximeters, thermometers, nutritional monitoring tapes, kit boxes, bicycles, gumboots, bags, and t-shirts.
Local leaders welcomed the initiative, describing it as a significant step toward strengthening healthcare services at the community level.
Rukungiri District LC5 Chairperson Geoffrey Kyomukama thanked the government for supporting the programme and urged the newly deployed health workers to use the equipment effectively.
“Your visit today is special. We thank the central government for training and equipping our CHEWs. Go and serve our communities. We shall be following up to make sure things work in the right direction,” Kyomukama said.
Assistant Resident District Commissioner Kellen Kagisha also commended the government for introducing the programme, saying it will help strengthen health systems at the grassroots level.
“We want to thank the NRM government and the President for this initiative. With this team of 210 health workers, we believe great work will be done in the community,” Kagisha said, urging the workers to serve with compassion and avoid exploiting communities.
Some of the graduates pledged to use the knowledge gained during the training to improve community health.
Tusimire Namara, one of the graduates, promised to work closely with communities and health facilities to improve access to healthcare services.
“I promise the people who entrusted and chose us cooperation and support for easy access and linkages to healthcare services as we help our health facilities and communities prevent disease,” Namara said.
Another graduate, Henry Niwamanya, said he is determined to translate the knowledge acquired during training into practical interventions at the household level.
“I have learnt a lot about health and I want to translate this knowledge into the community, reaching children, pregnant mothers, and the general public,” Niwamanya said.
The CHEWs initiative is designed to strengthen preventive healthcare by promoting hygiene and sanitation, improving maternal and child health, increasing disease surveillance, and enhancing community awareness on health issues.
The programme in Rukungiri District was implemented with support from the Joint Clinical Research Centre and the EPIC project with funding from the United States Government.
Health officials say the deployment of the 210 CHEWs across the district is expected to significantly improve community health outcomes by bringing essential health information and services closer to households.