Kazo gets over 100 community health workers

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A total of 102 community health extension workers (CHEWs) have been commissioned in Kazo district. 

The commissioning ceremony, which was attended by officials from the health ministry, development partners, Kazo district leadership and community members, was held at Kazo district headquarters on Wednesday, June 6, 2025.

According to district acting Kazo district health officer Bully Esther, the passed-out CHEWs underwent a six-month extensive training and have been equipped and trained with skills in health education, disease prevention, maternal and child health, and emergency response.

Health ministry Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine accompanied by Kazo MP Dan Kimosho and Kazo district chairman Rev Samuel Katugunda arriving at the commissioning of 102 community health extension workers in Kazo district. (Photo by Abdulkarim Ssengendo)

At the commissioning ceremony, the CHEWs were also given tools of empowerment, including bicycles, malaria, blood pressure and diabetes testing kits, tablets for data recording and first aid kits to enable them to improve healthcare delivery in Kazo, a district which has a population of over 232,600 people.

Speaking at the event, health ministry permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwiine said the CHEWs strategy was designed by the ministry to build resilient health systems for disease prevention through strengthening community health workers and reducing health challenges at the grassroots levels.

She said the Government will continue rolling out the strategy as they get more resources. According to Atwiine, where the CHEWs strategy has been implemented, there has been a reduction in the disease burden in those countries. The CHEWs programme has already been implemented in 23 districts and plans are underway to train more in seven districts and later, the entire country.

The cross-cutting activities of CHEWs provide opportunities to increase effectiveness of providing preventive, promotive and basic community curative health services in addition to programmes.  The programme is being supported by the health ministry in partnership with The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO).

Be good ambassadors

Atwine urged the commissioned CHEWs to be good ambassadors of the ministry and warned them against conflicting with other health workers and other community health structures like Village Health Teams.  She also warned them against turning themselves into doctors and involving them in illegal activities which are not within their mandate like prescribing drugs.

She also asked them to put much effort in improving antenatal attendance which she observed was still poor in the district. Atwine promised more support to VTHs in the district and said her ministry will also step in to address other challenges stressing health services in the district.

She challenged district leadership to prioritise critical areas in the health sector while recruiting staff. Kazo Member of Parliament Dan Kimosho hailed the intervention saying it will help to reduce the occurrence of preventive diseases in the district and called on locals to reward the government by voting NRM government with 100% in the coming general elections.

Dr Henry Mwebesa, the chairperson health services commission ministry of health, warned CHEWs not to charge patients money, avoid being rude and harsh to them and encouraged them to work together as a team with VTHs in their areas. He urged district leadership to put in place mechanisms that will help to discipline those involved in bad activities.

District chairperson the Rev. Samuel Katugunda-reported that the intervention has already improved district healthcare performance in all health facilities. The district has a total of 20 public health facilities, 3 PNFP and 12 private facilities. Katugunda called for more support to these health facilities, especially to increase the number of health workers, structures, upgrade Kazo HCIV into a district hospital and Burunga HCIII to a HCIV status.