importance of community based strategies
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY BASED STRATEGIES IN DELIVERING COMMUNITY BASED MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
Community health strategy is a community based approach through which households’and community take active role in health and health related developmental issue. Its aim is to enhance community access to health care through, providing health care services to all cohorts and socio economic groups at house hold and community level; building the capacity of community health extension worker (CHEW) and community health workers (CHW) to provide community level services in turn strengthening the link between the health facility and the community. These also help to create awareness to the community of their right to health services.
This article is aimed at demonstrating the effectiveness of applying community health strategies in delivering community based maternal and newborn health care in Kenya and Sierra Leon.
According to Gilbert Wangalwa, child death has decreased globally from 12.5million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008, of this figure one third were neonatal death of which has been linked closely to the slow progress in reduction of maternal mortality; approximately 342,900 maternal death each year.
In Kenya and Sierra Leone just like other sub Saharan African countries the rate of child and maternal mortality still remains high over the past years. For instance in Kenya a lone the maternal mortality ratio is estimated to be 488 per 100,000 live birth of this 15% were women aged between 15 to 49years (from 2005 to 2008). Where as in Sierra Leone maternal mortality ratio of 970 of every 100,000 live birth and 1 in every 21 pregnant women run the risk of dying. Sierra Leone is also ranked as the 5th in the world for countries with the highest mortality rates with 140 deaths in every 1000 live births.
Some of the factors identified in both countriesleading to this high morbidities and mortalities are; unsafe maternal and new born health practices and this is
Community health strategy is a community based approach through which households’and community take active role in health and health related developmental issue. Its aim is to enhance community access to health care through, providing health care services to all cohorts and socio economic groups at house hold and community level; building the capacity of community health extension worker (CHEW) and community health workers (CHW) to provide community level services in turn strengthening the link between the health facility and the community. These also help to create awareness to the community of their right to health services.
This article is aimed at demonstrating the effectiveness of applying community health strategies in delivering community based maternal and newborn health care in Kenya and Sierra Leon.
According to Gilbert Wangalwa, child death has decreased globally from 12.5million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008, of this figure one third were neonatal death of which has been linked closely to the slow progress in reduction of maternal mortality; approximately 342,900 maternal death each year.
In Kenya and Sierra Leone just like other sub Saharan African countries the rate of child and maternal mortality still remains high over the past years. For instance in Kenya a lone the maternal mortality ratio is estimated to be 488 per 100,000 live birth of this 15% were women aged between 15 to 49years (from 2005 to 2008). Where as in Sierra Leone maternal mortality ratio of 970 of every 100,000 live birth and 1 in every 21 pregnant women run the risk of dying. Sierra Leone is also ranked as the 5th in the world for countries with the highest mortality rates with 140 deaths in every 1000 live births.
Some of the factors identified in both countriesleading to this high morbidities and mortalities are; unsafe maternal and new born health practices and this is