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A Situation Assessment of Community Health Workers' Preparedness in Supporting Health System Response to COVID-19 in
Rehema Chengo1, Tammary Esho1, Shiphrah Kuria1
1Amref Health Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
Background:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused socio-economic disruptions across the globe. The pandemic disrupted the health system (HS) calling for reengineering in response to high infection rates, deaths, and resultant containment measures. To deal with COVID-19 and promote resilience, community health workers (CHWs) were engaged across countries.
Objective:
Assess the preparedness of CHWs in supporting health system response in prevention and management of COVID-19 in Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda.
Methods:
A mixed methods design study involving national and subnational jurisdictions in the 3 countries. Key informant interviews were conducted with policy actors (16) and health care workers (24) while in-depth interviews involved CHWs (14) and community members (312) subjected to survey interviews.
Results:
Most (>50%) households survived on
Conclusion:
COVID-19 linked disruptions to optimal functioning of HS necessitated engagement of CHWs in the pandemic prevention and management. Findings underscore the important role CHWs play in supporting HS during crisis like COVID-19 to mitigate disruptions and stabilize the system for effective response. The CHWs can improve resilience of social and HS during unplanned disruptions for optimal functioning and attainment of universal health care. Policy makers should develop structured mechanisms for engaging CHWs while committing resources to address challenges that affect seamless synergy between health and CHWs Systems.
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