Kitui rural health project

Project will focus on rural health facility (RHF) construction/upgrading, the training and support of community health workers (CHW"s), drug distribution, and the provision of technical assistance (TA) and overseas training to the Ministry of Health (MOH), which will implement the project. In the project"s first phase, 18 RHF"s will be upgraded and two new RHF"s built. Up to five MOH teams will sensitize communities to the project. For communities which establish an effective health committee and agree to provide general support to CHW"s and to undertake at least one community health development activity, the MOH will train and equip CHW"s to provide individual-level curative, preventive, and promotive health care and will make available a fund to supplement local resources in support of community activities. Health service delivery will be facilitated by the use of CODEL mobile units; development of referal manuals and protocols for health personnel; and adaptation of the MOH"s pilot drug distribution system for RHF"s to include the provision to CHW"s of drugs and supplies needed for both static and community-based activities. The MOH will receive TA to develop training, supervisory, and logistical procedures and to coordinate health activities between government and non-government entities and with non-health development activities. To support the project"s community-based approach, training will be provided to rural health management teams who will administer the project and to district and divisional development committees. MOH health center/headquarters teams will be trained to become community facilitators and to provide CHW"s with a gradated program of pre-service and in-service training, including training to assist in the maternal/child health-family planning program to be implemented in all project RHF"s; traditional birth attendants will also be trained for this program. Four MOH personnel will receive U.S., M.S. training; observation tours for select MOH personnel are also planned. Finally, an information and evaluation system, including the collection of baseline and ongoing health data and the conducting of indepth studies, will be implemented for the project.