More than 107,000 community health providers have been trained by the government as part of measures to curb the death of children under five years, Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Director General of Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth during the World Pneumonia Day celebrations held in Siaya, the CS said the government was committed to strengthening primary health care by ensuring that CHPs are equipped with knowledge on integrated community case management.
He said that whereas Kenya has made progress towards reduction of deaths resulting from pneumonia, there were still gaps that needed to be addressed.
“The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey showed that four out of ten children with symptoms of acute respiratory infection received care within 48 hours” he said adding “Pneumonia kills fast and therefore, care must be earlier, closer and affordable”.
Duale said that Pneumonia remains one of the leading causes of death among children worldwide, killing more than 700,000 children under the age of five years annually.
“Every 43 seconds, a child is lost to pneumonia” he said adding “behind these numbers are devastated families, futures extinguished and communities left mourning”.
He said that Kenya has however made strides towards curbing the deaths through continuous investment in vaccination programs.
The CS called on the community health providers to educate households on prevention and help families identify danger signs early.
He further called on county governments to join forces with the national government to expand access to pneumonia case management in counties.
The national event which was held at the Siaya Kenya Medical Training College grounds was also addressed by Siaya County Commissioner, Nobert Komora and Siaya county government officials.
By Philip Onyango
