NAIROBI,Kenya, Jul 7- The Ministry of Health has launched a three-day Community Health Assessment Data Verification exercise in Ol Kalou Sub-County, Nyandarua County, in a move aimed at strengthening community health systems and improving data-driven planning for primary healthcare and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The exercise, which began in Kiambaga Ward, brings together Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to validate community health data, assess the implementation of community-based health interventions and identify gaps in service delivery.
In a statement following the launch, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni said accurate, timely and reliable community health data is essential for effective healthcare planning, equitable allocation of resources and evidence-based decision-making.
“Accurate community health data is the foundation of informed decision making and stronger healthcare systems,” she said.
She noted that the exercise will help the Ministry improve preventive and promotive healthcare by ensuring decisions are informed by verified household-level data collected through the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS).
She noted that Ol Kalou Sub-County has recorded significant progress in implementing community health programmes, with its 258 Community Health Promoters registering 18,920 households on the eCHIS platform.
Of those, 15,990 households, representing 85 per cent, have already received follow-up visits for routine community health services.
The Community Health Promoters have also conducted thousands of diabetes and hypertension screenings while supporting maternal and child health through household assessments, referrals and follow-up care.
The verification exercise will continue over the next three days across all five wards of Ol Kalou Sub-County before being rolled out to other parts of the country.
The Ministry said the nationwide initiative is expected to strengthen community health systems by improving the quality of health data used in planning, identifying service delivery gaps and enhancing access to quality primary healthcare.
