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Residents and doctors hail the significant contribution of community health workers in maternal and child health care, noting that home childbirths have become a thing of the past and malnutrition among children has significantly reduced. Said Musanze and Burera district residents.
Health officials in the Musanze region say that the role of community health workers (Abajyanama b’ubuzima) in reducing malnutrition among children is very important.
They say they [community health workers] have helped health and local authorities to change parents’ attitudes towards childcare.
“Recently in Muhoza Sector, we had 15 children with nutritional issues, nine of whom were in the ‘yellow’ zone and six in the ‘red’. In collaboration with the private sector at the Cell and Sector level, we came together to feed these children in a local home for 12 days. By the end of this period, almost all had improved, leaving only two in the “red” zone, both of which subsequently moved to “yellow”, although one of them, suffering from a congenital handicap, required special attention.”
Said Emmanuel Mbarushimana, the head of Muhoza Health Center, during a press briefing with health reporters from ABASIRWA on June 24, 2024, adding that community health workers have played a crucial role in it.
“My child would have died of malnutrition,” said Marie Mukamana, a resident of Muhoza who said she weaned her child prematurely due to pregnancy-related problems.
“A few days later, his hair started to fade and his legs swelled. I sought advice from a community health worker who advised me on proper nutrition and hydration. Three months later, my child is doing much better and is now a healthy and active toddler.”
Francois Xavier Urimubenshi, the head of Gitare Health Center in Kagogo Sector, Burera District, also praised the community health workers.
“They have significantly eased our workload by assisting in prenatal care up to childbirth and postnatal care, including monthly child growth monitoring and promoting balanced diets. Those identified with growth or nutrition issues are referred to us for further care,” he noted.
The work carried out by community health workers is also praised by the Director of the Ruhengeri Teaching Hospital, Dr Philbert Muhire, who demonstrates their role in the basic treatment of diseases such as Malaria.
“Beyond the provision of basic health care, community health workers have played a vital role in disease prevention and education, particularly in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates and in the treatment of diseases such as Malaria, where they have achieved a therapeutic success rate of 70%.”
Julien Mahoro Niyingabira, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, highlighted the dramatic reduction in malaria, with fatalities dropping from 427 in 2017 to 35 in 2023, and incidences reducing from six million cases to 500,000.
This is a testament to the effectiveness of our health policies under the NST1 program, which aims to enhance healthcare services and infrastructure. Today, a Rwandan needs only 20 minutes to reach a health facility compared to 50 minutes seven years ago.” he explained.
Rwanda now has over 58,000 community health workers, improving access and awareness of health care, especially in rural areas. From five million malaria patients in 2016 to half a million today, Rwanda has managed to reduce malaria incidence by tenfold.
Two-thirds of cases are now effectively managed by community health workers without requiring visits to the health center or hospital. This marks a significant stride in Rwanda’s healthcare development.
