Kiambu County Department of Health Services has launched an extensive training program to equip 3000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) with the necessary skills to utilize the Electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) in all 12 Sub-counties.
The eCHIS, a national project launched by the Ministry of Health a year ago, incorporates the SmartHealth Mobile Phone application, built on the Medic’s Community Health Toolkit (CHT) platform.
Dr. Hillary Kagwa, Kiambu County Director of Health, explained that the primary goal of the training is to empower CHPs with knowledge and expertise in leveraging eCHIS to enhance service delivery in their respective communities.
Addressing Sub County Public Health Officers, Sub County Community Health Service Coordinators, and Sub County Health Records and Information Officers, who will be training the CHPs, Dr. Kagwa emphasized the importance of engaging CHPs and familiarizing them with their roles and responsibilities in community health promotion while equipping them to navigate the eCHIS effectively.
The eCHIS training program covers various topics, ranging from data entry and patient registration to advanced analytics and reporting functionalities. Dr. Kagwa highlighted that by fully utilizing technology, healthcare workers will gain access to real-time patient and community information, allowing them to track health trends and respond promptly to potential outbreaks.
Additionally, the implementation of the eCHIS system is expected to revolutionize patient data collection, management, and sharing, ultimately leading to improved healthcare outcomes and enhanced patient experiences.
Dorothy Kinyua, a CHP from Kirigiti ward, expressed her excitement about the upcoming technological advancements, acknowledging that reliance on paper-based tools and records often resulted in challenges such as lost or misplaced data. With the eCHIS app, automated reminders will ensure crucial tasks are not forgotten, making her work more efficient.
This comprehensive system not only streamlines administrative tasks but also fosters seamless communication among community health providers, enabling more coordinated and personalized care for the community. Moreover, supervisors will have improved oversight and the ability to offer tailored support to CHPs, even from a remote location, further easing their work.