Lodwar- September 3, 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The Department of Health and Sanitation, led by the Chief Officer for Medical Services Dr Gilchrist Lokoel, hosted a team from Save the Children to plan an upcoming joint Integrating Community Case Management (ICCM) training.
Targeting Community Health Promoters (CHPs), this capacity building opportunity is geared to boost knowledge on Community Management on Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in Loima, Lokiriama, and Kibish sub-counties.
Supported by UNICEF and implemented by Save the Children will enable CHPs to understand how to identify, screen, and treat persistent childhood illnesses. This will improve the quality of lives of households affected by frequent pneumonia, malaria, malnutrition, and diarrhoea.
Dr Lokoel articulated that ICCM has been a vital strategy in reducing these common childhood diseases among the under-fives. He emphasized that this has been achieved through continued training and upscaling it to other sub-counties.
“CHPs will not only be able to manage malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea but also malnutrition among children,” he said.
This training will be followed by an 18-month operational research study funded by UNICEF and implemented by the County Government in collaboration with Save the Children.
According to the Health and Nutrition Coordinator at Save The Children, Akutan Lobolia, this study is purposed to integrate CMAM into ICCM.
“This integration will allow CHPs to detect, treat, and refer malnutrition cases at the community level,” he added.
The This joint initiative marks another step in strengthening Turkana’s community health system. This is order to reduce preventable child deaths and build healthier, more resilient communities at the grassroots level.Chief Officer lauded the achievements on ICCM, echoing that research studies and innovative solutions are critical to developing strategic interventions, crucial to achieving health goals in Turkana.
Represented Directorates at the meeting included Community Health Services, Family Health, Nutrition, Clinical Services, Health Products and Technologies, and finally Policy Planning, Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
