Online training aims to boost health services

Politics and policy

Mr Bob Collymore, Safaricom’s Chief Executive Officer. Safaricom’s landline rates are fixed at four shillings for both intra and cross-network calls. PHOTO | FILE 

By SARAH OOKO, sooko@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• The initiative dubbed Health Enablement and Learning Platform (HELP), has text and audio learning packages that volunteers can easily access for self-training to cut costs.
• Health Permanent Secretary Khadijah Kassachon said the platform would enable the Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide initial and continuous education to community health volunteers who are leading health service delivery in the country.

Amref Health Africa has partnered with technology firm Accenture and Safaricom Foundation to create a mobile training app for community health volunteers.

The initiative dubbed Health Enablement and Learning Platform (HELP), has text and audio learning packages that volunteers can easily access for self-training to cut costs.

It also allows them to communicate with colleagues and supervisors.

Health Permanent Secretary Khadijah Kassachon said the platform would enable the Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide initial and continuous education to community health volunteers who are leading health service delivery in the country.

The volunteers usually sensitise communities to adopt healthy lifestyles, including good hygiene, family planning, regular exercises and healthy diets to prevent infectious and non-communicable diseases.

The government also relies on them to educate communities on how to make better use of health facilities in their areas.

Previously, MOH incurred huge costs while conducting face-to-face training to adequately prepare CHVs for their role. This impeded the Ministry’s ability to educate all volunteers.

Dr Kassachon said MOH was keen on embracing this technology to improve the country’s healthcare system following deepening use of mobile phones in Kenya.

The HELP mobile platform, whose training information is in line with MOH’s integrated curriculum for community health volunteers, has so far benefited about 300 volunteers in Nairobi’s Kibera area, Samburu and Mwingi — where it was piloted at a cost of Sh41 million.

Another 3000 people are set to benefit from the second phase of the project which is funded to a tune of Sh138 million by the M-Pesa foundation.