Improving Access to Healthcare in Rural Zambia

During April Community Health Workers from around Zimba and Kazungula District gathered in Livingstone for a residential training week. The aim was to refresh their understanding of various areas of health. ‘Spotting the sick person’ was one of the key themes, needed to support the CHWs in their key role of identifying early stages of serious illness so that patients can be referred through the rural health centres to the appropriate healthcare staff.

The training was delivered by doctors from On Call Africa working alongside specialists from partner agencies and representatives from statutory health services.

The CHWs benefitted from sessions on eye complaints led by ophthalmologists from Vision Aid. They also had teaching about back pain and ergonomics from a physiotherapist from Livingstone General Hospital. Back pain is one of the issues we frequently encounter from the women in the communities. So the physiotherapists are also now occasionally accompanying the doctors when they go to the villages to run mobile clinics.

One of the issues about which we are continuing to raise awareness is gender-based violence. Members of the GBV team from Livingstone Hospital presented a further session on this, having introduced the issue to the CHWs last year. Our aim is that the CHWs will be equipped to signpost women to the support available in their districts. Other sessions were delivered by the Mental Health team.

Alongside the formal sessions the residential training gave the CHWS a chance to met up and share with CHWs from other villages, gain support and guidance from doctors, and enjoy some good company and food!