The County Health Management Team (CHMT) has participated in a post-co-creation feedback meeting with Amref Health Africa in Kenya for the Transcend Program targeting the host community in Turkana West Sub-county.

The three-year Danish-funded program targets to improve health-seeking behavior and access to quality healthcare services.

It also aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the health workers.

The Ag Director for Medical Services, Alice Akalapatan, said the program will improve health services in the spirit of integration according to the Kalobeyei Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan (KISEDP II).

“As the county moves towards improving healthcare access through universal health care (UHC), let’s also enhance high-quality services,” she said.

She advocated for utilization of the community health promoters, to refer women to health facilities for early antenatal care (ANC) services and reorient traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to be birth companions.

The program, which mainly focuses on reproductive maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH), aims to implement more cost-effective primary care models aimed at transitioning to the county level.

According to USAID Imarisha Jamii Ag Chief of Party Dr. Evans Osembo, the program would solely benefit the host community as it seeks to provide similar services enjoyed by the refugees.

Ag. Deputy Director for Administration and Partnerships, Nancy Kinyonge, requested regular progress meetings from the partner for better coordination and implementation of the program.

She also stressed the necessity to address the gaps in the referral system.

The participants prioritized activities such as mental and psychosocial, adolescent and youth, laboratory services, and menstrual health management.

Others were on minority, vulnerable groups, and infrastructural development.