Vihiga Governor, Dr. Wilber Ottichilo, has assented to the Vihiga Community Health Services Bill and Vihiga County Health Services Amendment Bill, aimed at boosting health services to the residents.
Dr. Ottichilo said the two Acts would provide a legal frame work for recognizing the Community Health Volunteers (CHVs), as the County Government would now be able to remunerate them.
“We appreciate the vital role played by the CHVs and with the law in place, we are going to pay them some wages,” he said, stating that the County Assembly has already passed a motion, changing their description to Community Health Workers (CHWs).
He added that the Vihiga County Health Services Amendment (VCHSA) Act, entrenches the CHWs into the hierarchy of the county health structure, thereby enabling them enjoy the benefits just like the other employees in the sector.
The County Head stated that the enactment also lays a framework for managing the healthcare system, including establishing the health products and technology panel consisting of heads of units in the health sector.
“The panel would be responsible for fostering synergy, as well as streamlining the operations of the various departments for efficient and effective delivery of the services,” he said.
