Healthcare workers from Kaputir and Katilu wards met to discuss the impact of the 20 integrated outreaches that started in September, this year.
The participants, the Sub-county Management Team, facility in-charges, community health assistants, and nutritionists, from 14 facilities had conducted a mass screening exercise. However, they had not completed the exercise due to a rise in insecurity incidents.
The outreaches, supported by the Diocese of Lodwar (DoL), Catholic Relief Services, and European Civil Protection & Humanitarian Office (ECHO), started in July with 10 which were increased to 20 in September. The partners also supported the exercise in order to assess the impact of the outreaches.
Speaking at the meeting, the County Chief Officer (CCO) of Peter Lomorukai urged the participants to work with the community health promoters (CHPs) in order to complete the exercise.
“Work with CHPs to reach the communities and existing structures such as integrated outreaches to complete the exercise for it is when the final data is in do we know the drought emergency response interventions lowered the level of malnutrition rates,” he said.
The Deputy Director of Administration and Partnerships, Nancy Kinyonge, commended the participants’ commitment and willingness to work in the volatile area of Turkana South Sub-County.
Sister Doris, DoL Medical Coordinator, said that the diocese had been requested to support the two wards by the county to reach those unreached communities due to the volatility of the area.
She also urged the participants to actively work with the CHPs to reach the targeted households for the mass screening.
Timothy Amana, the District Public Health Nurse of Turkana South, said that the participants were committed to completing the mass screening exercise despite the recent insecurity incidents.
The project focuses on malnutrition whereby all the community health units have been sensitized on Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM) and Family Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (FMUAC), defaulter training, and caregivers.
