Kitui healthcare providers trained on management of childhood illnesses

Kitui healthcare providers drawn from three sub-counties have been trained on Tools for Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (TIMCI).  

The training underway

The training centred on equipping healthcare workers stationed at primary-level facilities with skills and knowledge on early detection of severe illness among children under 5 years.

Lynn Kitwan Chief Officer Public Health, applauded PATH for training 21 health care providers on Integrated Management of Childhood Illness and 89 on job training on TIMCI. 

“Partnership is key especially in the health sector because of the invaluable support that we have received so far from partners in regard to Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) services,” Kitwan affirmed.  “The support has contributed a great deal in the reduction of maternal, child and neonatal mortality in the County.”

Chief Officer Medical Services Dr Benson Musyoka commended PATH for developing the tool which has assisted healthcare workers to identify critically ill children and refer them for treatment without delay.

Kitwan speaking on behalf of the County Executive for Health and Sanitation Ruth Koki, said the ministry has allocated funds to procure Pulse Oximeters and Clinical Decision Support Algorithms (CDSA), train healthcare providers on Integrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) and Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment plus (ETAT+), to bolster neonatal and child health indicators.

The debriefing meeting was attended by PATH officials, a National Government representative, Division of Neo-natal and Childhealth and members of Kitui County Health Management team (CHMT). 

The three sub-counties healthcare workers selected for the training is Mwingi Central, Kitui Central and Kitui Rural.

STORY By MARTIN MWENGA