Community Health Workers provide important linkage between the health system and the communities – Dr Tudravu

The role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) is an integral part of our primary health care system as they provide an important linkage between the health system and the communities.

This was highlighted by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr James Tudravu while officiating at the opening of the Community Health Workers Training of the Trainers Workshop at the FLIPS Training Centre in Nasese this morning.

The training workshop includes participants such as the Director of Nursing, Nursing Unit Managers, and Sister-in-Charge from all the divisions across Fiji.

Dr Tudravu says Community Health Workers build the trust of the people or community they serve in the health system through the care and service they provide in health promotion, health prevention, and primary care.

He says in this way, the community gets to know that they have a friend in the health system.

He adds this revised training package is a big step forward in the government’s efforts to improve the health of our communities and get closer to our national goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for our population in Fiji.

The Permanent Secretary says the new training modules include a number of important parts, which include current evidence and best practices from around the world, the goals of our community health strategy, and integrated, people-centred service delivery.

Dr Tudravu says the updated training modules cover a lot of important health services, such as maternal and child health, communicable diseases, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, health promotion and first aid.

He says the training covers all of these important areas to make sure that our CHWs have the right knowledge, skills, and tools to give our people better care, and this is a necessary investment in the future of healthcare leadership, mentorship, and quality control.

The Permanent Secretary urges the master trainers that it is their job to spread these modules to districts and communities all over the country, and the expectation is that they will not only be passing on knowledge but also building trust and mentoring frontline workers.

These participants will train the Community Health Workers around the country after this workshop.

According to the Ministry, there are a total of 1,682 Community Health Workers in the country.