CHS officially opened its Lower Eastern offices in Machakos, Makueni and Kitui Counties on August 30, and 31, 2017 in colourful ceremonies attended by members of the CHS management team, representatives from the respective County Governments and a cross-section of staff from the three counties. In his opening remarks, CHS Chief Executive Officer Dr Paul Wekesa commended the teams for their efforts towards realisation of the CHS vision of access to health interventions and services and further lauded the support that the teams were receiving from the respective County Governments.
“We have been working in partnership with different counties across the country for a while now to strengthen health systems. It is my sincere hope that everyone of us shall continue to uphold the CHS mandate to deliver sustainable health services to the people of Lower Eastern,” he said.
Lower Eastern hosts the ‘NAISHI’ project, a five-year HIV prevention, care and treatment program funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In collaboration with the County Health Departments in Machakos, Makueni and Kitui, CHS aims to continue and expand HIV service delivery through:
- Comprehensive HIV prevention, care and treatment
- Evidence guided practical strategies to ensure quality
- Improve yield and retention
- Sustainable County HIV service delivery
CDC has invested heavily in service delivery, health leadership and governance, human resources for health, health infrastructure and equipment, health information systems as well as health products and commodity security. Dr Wekesa expressed confidence in the joint effort of CHS and the County Governments in bringing these investments to fruition.
In a speech delivered by her Deputy Dr Gideon W. Nzau, newly elected Kitui County Governor H.E. Charity K. Ngilu congratulated CHS and expressed great interest in continuing and growing the existing partnership to deliver quality health care services to the people of Kitui County. “I wish to congratulate CHS for your exemplary commitment in averting deaths of both adults and children in Kitui County,” she said.
CHS remains committed to its mission and is working to support the delivery of quality HIV care, prevention and treatment services. As at June 2017 and with the support of PEPFAR through CDC, CHS was supporting over 200 health facilities and 545 health care workers through the NAISHI project.
