Newly deployed CHS supported staff pose for a picture with the CHS CEO Dr Paul Wekesa, Kitui County Chief Officer of Health and Sanitation Dr Richard Muthoka and CHS Kitui Senior Program Officer Philip Nzioki
On November 14, 2018, CHS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the County Government of Kitui as a sign of its commitment towards the provision of quality health services in the county. The MOU was signed by the Kitui County Governor Hon. Charity Ngilu, CHS Chief Executive Officer Dr Paul Wekesa in the presence of the Chief Officer of Health and Sanitation Dr Richard Muthoka.
The County and CHS agreed to enter into this MOU in order to regulate their existing relationship and record certain understandings of principle and mutual responsibilities. The MOU outlines CHS support in the implementation and expansion of high-quality HIV care, prevention and treatment and TB treatment and control.
“I would like to commend the immense support CHS is giving to our county. They have boosted our health system by employing 144 health care workers and an additional 43 that I will be commissioning today. This will go a long in ensuring that Kitui people continue to receive quality health services,’ said Her Excellency Charity Ngilu.
“One of our key areas of focus is Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT). A rising trend is noted in the mother to child transmission rate which currently stands at 8.2%. We would like to Invite the county to join us in advocating for better PMTCT services to ensure that our health care workers participate in testing and timely provision of prevention services in order to minimize on missed opportunities,” said Dr Paul Wekesa
Kitui county has about 340 registered health facilities, a majority (233(68%) being government-run facilities. Only about a third of these (94) provide PMTCT services including care for HIV-exposed infants. H.E Charity Ngilu urged and challenged the health care workers present to ensure that there is full scale-up of PMTCT services and encouraged the involvement of all health stakeholders in safeguarding the lives of the mothers, their children and generations to come.
H.E. Charity Ngilu further officially deployed 43 CHS supported Clinical Officers, Nursing Officers, Laboratory Technologists, Pharmacy Technologist, Nutritionist, HTS Coordinators, Health Records and Information Officers and Data Clerks. Human resources support made possible through budgetary support to the County Department of Health
The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEFPAR), through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been working in partnership with the County Department of Health in Kitui County to strengthen health systems towards the delivery of sustainable health services. CDC through CHS has currently engaged 187 Health Care Workers and 107 Peer Educators, Mentor Mothers, Lay Counsellors and Adherence Peer Educators across the 83 CHS supported facilities in the county.