Kisumu Governor Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o. Community Health volunteers in Kisumu County have asked him to fulfill his pledge of equipping them with skills and also giving them stipends. [Photo|nation]
Community Health Volunteers (CHV) from Nyando Sub-county on Monday petitioned the newly elected Kisumu governor Prof Anyang’ Nyong'o over his pre-election pledges.
The CHV, led by their coordinator, Edward Olum, said they were eagerly waiting for the governor to honor his pre-election pledge of empowering the community care givers as contained in his manifesto.
“CHV across Kisumu have been rife with anticipation and reinvigorated following the campaign pledge by the governor to recognize the significant role played by the care givers as part of the county’s health transformational agenda,” said Olum
Olum said the volunteers have persevered in hardship to in filling a critical gap towards responding to and averting health crisis in villages across the county.
He noted that the care givers’ task had become more arduous in the past few months following the nurses’ strike forcing them to assume more responsibilities and commitment in the course of their work.
The coordinator has therefore called on Gov. Nyong’o to make good his word and actualize the stipend and capacity building arrangements for the care givers saying this would motivate the volunteers to further provide better services to the community.
“Facilitating those who sacrifice to bridge the health services gap within the villages and general improvement in working environment as well as equipping them with additional skills are but among the issues that we are waiting upon to be addressed,” added Olum
The CHV have further appealed to Governors across the country to midwife a return to work formula so that nurses are can resume duties an end the crisis that has plagued the health sector in the last several months since the nurses downed their tools .
Olum regretted that expectant women have experienced the bigger brunt of the strike with most of them forced to risk giving birth without the assistance of a medical personnel.