Community health workers put emphasis on traditional food

Homa Bay,

Wednesday November 22, 2023

KNA by Davis Langat

Traditional foods have been identified as an effective way of managing diabetes and hypertension.

The foods are being propagated by a community health promoters’ unit in Kasipul constituency in Homa Bay County.

Members of the Kokal Community Health Promoters Group led by Joan Juma says such indigenous foods have the ability to fight against diseases.

Juma said the group is also helping to manage other non-communicable diseases such as mental health conditions, stroke and chronic lung disease among others.

She said that the group which was started in 2021has helped some people in Kasipul constituency who have such non communicable diseases.

Juma said they realised that a lot of people were suffering from non-communicable diseases.

 “Health records reveal that every home has at least someone with a non-communicable disease. We decided to provide intervention by preparing traditional foods which we have proved is working,” Juma says.

Studies revealed that feeding on natural and traditional foods reduces chances of contracting diseases. 

 Most non communicable diseases are attributed to feeding on junk food. They lack the required nutrients to fight such diseases.

The health promoters play a pivotal role of identifying people with underlying medical conditions in the community and refer the patients to hospital for further treatment.

Recently, the government began empowering community health promoters by giving them comprehensive medical kits to enable them to attend to patients.

 “We introduce patients with diabetes and hypertension into traditional foods to manage the diseases. Many people have been helped in that manner,” she adds.

 Juma said the group has developed a method of making nutrient rich sweet potato and millet flour porridge.

The group equips villagers with methods of harvesting crops and preserving them in a way that they do not lose their nutritional values.

Juma says some vegetables used by patients with hypertension and diabetes are dried in the sun.

 “Such vegetables when cooked and eaten provide strength to patients,” she said.

Speaking at Mithui village in Oyugis, Juma says they have helped many people with underlying medical conditions from the community.

 The community health promoters noted that majority of residents do not know the right food.

Juma said they teach people how to extract oil made from groundnuts. They have a machine for extracting oil from groundnuts and sesame seeds.

Homa Bay coordinator for non-communicable diseases Silas Mado said the health promoters are helping them to fight diseases in the community.

Mado said community health promoters in Homa Bay county were being trained to enable them to play their roles effectively.

“They are able to sensitise residents to eat the right food. We’re working with them closely not only to improve nutrition but also to improve the health in the community,” Mado said.

Last week, Governor Gladys Wanga had asked the more than 2500 community health promoters to intensify their outreach programmes to reduce the disease burden in the county.

The Governor said her administration is investing on the health promoters to save residents from high disease burden.

She said one of the best ways of fighting the high disease prevalence is by empowering community health promoters.

 “We understand the integral role the community health promoters do in the health department. They have the capacity to help us fight disease,” Wanga said.

Courtesy; KNA