Tayebwa warns community health workers against treating patients
Tayebwa said the 155 CHEWs who passed out in Mitooma district should serve as the government's eyes and ears in communities by identifying health risks, educating households and linking people to appropriate health facilities.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa (3rd right) handing over a bicycle during the passing-out ceremony of the CHEWs. (Courtesy)
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Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has warned newly trained Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) against treating patients or establishing informal clinics, urging them to focus on health education, disease prevention and referring patients to health facilities.
Tayebwa said the 155 CHEWs who passed out in Mitooma district should serve as the government's eyes and ears in communities by identifying health risks, educating households and linking people to appropriate health facilities.
“You’re not a doctor; don’t start acting like doctors, don’t set up clinics. Don’t attempt to treat anyone. That is not your job,” he said.
Tayebwa made the remarks on October 5, 2026, at the Mitooma district headquarters during the passing-out ceremony of the CHEWs, which was attended by Ministry of Health officials and district leaders.
Focus on prevention
The CHEWs are expected to take health promotion services closer to households, particularly in communities where residents face challenges accessing health facilities.
Their duties include community sensitisation, disease surveillance, promoting immunisation and antenatal care, identifying health risks and referring patients for professional treatment.
Tayebwa said Mitooma's geographical setting and disease burden make community sensitisation particularly important.
He urged the CHEWs to identify communities with particular disease burdens and tailor their health education campaigns to the specific health needs of those areas.
Tayebwa also asked local leaders to give the CHEWs opportunities to address residents at community gatherings, including burial ceremonies, instead of allowing such platforms to be dominated by politicians.
Warns against alcohol abuse
Tayebwa further urged the CHEWs to educate communities about lifestyle-related diseases and the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption.
He also asked them to encourage women to attend routine antenatal care and promote other preventive health measures.
He cautioned the workers to take care of bicycles and other equipment provided by the Government, saying the items were meant to facilitate their work and should not be treated as personal property.
“Guard the properties that you have been given; they are not gifts. They are work equipment. For you women, if your husband confiscates the bicycle, report immediately,” Tayebwa said.
Director general of health services Dr Charles Olaro said the deployment of CHEWs is part of a broader Ministry of Health strategy to shift Uganda's health system towards disease prevention, rather than waiting for people to fall sick before seeking treatment.
Olaro said a significant proportion of Uganda's disease burden could be prevented through access to health information, healthier lifestyles and early intervention at community level.
He said the success of the CHEWs programme should not be measured by the number of patients referred to health facilities, but by the health problems prevented within communities.
Olaro said the workers would also play a key role in promoting immunisation, antenatal care, family planning, sanitation and the prevention of non-communicable diseases.
Mitooma faces staffing gaps
Mitooma acting district health officer Julius Taremwa said the new workers would help bridge the longstanding gap between households and health facilities.
Taremwa said although the district recently recruited 101 health workers, including a surgeon, gynaecologist and medical officers, its overall health workforce remains at about 22 per cent of the required staffing level.
He said some communities still have limited access to health facilities, while Mitooma General Hospital is undergoing further development.
“We still have communities that are not being reached. For example, Katenga subcounty as a whole has no health facility, and Kiyanga subcounty also faces gaps in access to health services,” Taremwa said.