Kitui Governor Dr. Julius Malombe together with Deputy Governor Wambua Kanani, Speaker Kevin Kinengo, and CECM health Winnie Kitetu, flagged off the first consignment of drugs and non-pharmaceuticals worth 108 million at the Kitui County Referral Hospital.
Speaking during the event, the Governor reiterated that he will absorb Community health volunteers (CHVs) who were said to have been neglected by the previous regime. Governor Malombe appreciated them for the efforts they did on matters of health in their communities pointing out that they played a big role in health and sanitation.
“The CHVs helped in promoting preventive healthcare by helping in educating the community through public health awareness. During my first term, we gave matters of public health equal importance just like cumulative health. Most of the drugs we have received will be used to treat respiratory complications and diseases such as amoeba which mostly are caused by poor hygiene. That’s why we want to engage with the CHVs as I did during my first term,” Governor Malombe said.
He also affirmed that the community health volunteers ensured that Kitui County was in a better situation in terms of home sanitation. They created awareness for each homestead to have a toilet or pit latrine.
The Governor noted that promotive and preventive healthcare which was advocated by the health volunteers was very vital in preventing illnesses and was a great tool in ensuring that residents don’t spend a lot of money on going to hospitals and buying drugs after they get sick.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the best options was preventive healthcare where people were educated on how to wash their hands, wear their masks, and get vaccinated. It is the work of community health volunteers like those I worked with who were very well trained by an NGO we had partnered with, and you can see lives can be saved,” Governor Malombe added.
Malombe also called upon Kitui residents to respect the community health volunteers because they play a very big role in society and reiterated that they will no longer be called Community health volunteers after employing them but they will be called Community Health Workers (CHW).
“If you see them kindly respect them because they worked until they made Kitui to be declared open defecation free in Kenya. They rallied to tell people to construct toilets in their homes and with that I know the cases of Amoeba and other diseases will go down,” he went on.
Malombe further promised to better healthcare for all the people of Kitui noting that his government would lay down plans to bolster cancer management specifically through enhanced screening for early detection.
Out of the Ksh. 108 million drugs, 96 million was from the County Government of Kitui, and. 12 million from the National Government through Universal Health Care (UHC) program.
