Thomas Tayebwa the Deputy Speaker of Parliament has warned 155 newly trained Community Health Extension Workers (CHWs) in Mitooma District against treating patients or setting up informal clinics, urging them to focus on health education, disease prevention and referrals.
Tayebwa told the workers to become the governments eyes and ears in their communities by identifying health risks, educating house holds and connecting people to appropriate health facilities.

He said:
“You are not doctors, do not start acting like doctors, do not set up clinics.  Do not attempt to teat anyone. That is not your job.”  
He was speaking on Monday at the CHWs passing out ceremony at Mitooma District headquarters, where he joined Ministry of Health officials and District leaders to mark the completion of their training.

The workers are expected to take health promotion closer to households, particularly in communities where residents face difficulties accessing health facilities. Their responsibilities include community sensitization, disease surveillance, promoting immunization and antenatal care, identifying health risks and referring patients to health facilities for professional treatment.

Tayebwa said Mitooma’s geographical setting and disease burden make community Health education particularly important. The district has communities bordering forests and national park, while malaria remains a significant health concern.  He urged the workers to identify communities with particular health risks and tailor their sensitization campaigns to the needs of those areas.

Tayebwa also asked local leaders to give the workers opportunities to speak at community gatherings, including burial ceremonies, so they can use such platforms to promote health messages rather than. Leaving them dominated by politicians. He further urged the workers to identify communities about life style related diseases, including the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption, and encourage women to attend routine antenatal care.

Tayebwa cautioned the workers to protect bicycles and other equipments provided by the government, saying the items were issued to facilitate their work and should not be treated as personal property.
He said:
“Guard the properties that you have been given; they are not gifts. They are work equipments, for you women, if your husband confiscates the bicycle, report immediately.”

Director General of Health services Dr. Charles Olaro said, deploying the workers is part of a broader Ministry of Health effort to shift Uganda’s health system toward prevention rather than waiting for people to become sick before seeking treatment.
Olaro said much of Uganda’s diseases burden could be reduced through better health information, healthier lifestyle and early action at community level.

He said the success of the CHEWs programme should be measured by the health problem prevented in communities rather than the number of patients referred to health facilities.

Olaro said that the workers will also play an important role in promoting immunization, antenatal care, family planning, sanitation and prevention of non-communicable diseases.  Mitooma District acting District Health Officer Julius Taremwa said the new workers will help address a longstanding gap between households and health facilities.

Although the district recently recruited 101 health workers, including a surgeon, gynecologist and medical officers, Taremwa said its overall staffing levels remains about 22percent.  He said the district also has gaps in health facility coverage, while Mitooma General Hospital is undergoing further development.
He said: 
“We still have communities that are not being reached. For example, Katenga sub county as a whole has no health facility, and Kiyanga subcounty also faces gaps in access to health services.”