Mathew Abuto’s dedication to improving community health in Kenya’s Nyamira County began over 14 years ago. As a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the county goverment, he was confronted with alarming health data that revealed a critical need for change.
Limited access to essential health services, such as HIV testing for pregnant women and low adherence rates for HIV and tuberculosis (TB) treatment, painted a stark picture. A significant portion of the county’s population was being deprived of the care necessary for a healthy life.
Even today, Nyamira County grapples with a high HIV burden, with an estimated prevalence of 3.5 percent.Rising HIV transmission, particularly among children and adolescents, coupled with a high TB-HIV coinfection rate of 25 percent, highlight missed opportunities for providing timely HIV and TB testing, treatment, and care.
“People living with HIV and/or TB also face other challenges, such as stigma and limited access to health education, leading to limited health-seeking behavior, late diagnosis, poor adherence to treatment, and ultimately, poor health outcomes,” Abuto observed.
Driven by a desire to address these challenges, Abuto transitioned to the role of Community Health Services Coordinator in Borabu subcounty, the largest subcounty in Nyamira. In this position, he began working directly with community health promoters (CHPs) to enhance access to health services within communities and strengthen connections to follow-up care at health facilities. He also established seven Community health Units (CHUs) responsible for coordinating and supervising CHPs.
Initially, Abuto’s work with CHPs focused on improving their ability to deliver health education, locate and re-engage individuals who had discontinued or interrupted their treatment, refer community members to health facilities, and report on health indicators.
The positive results of his efforts inspired Abuto,who has since advanced to become the Community Health Services Coordinator for Nyamira County.
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