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Table 3 CHW activities

From: Using a human resource management approach to support community health workers: experiences from five African countries

Provision of healthcare services

Health promotion/distribution of health goods

Community organization

• Home-based treatment of illnesses such as malaria, diarrhoea, ARI

• Home visits to promote health

• Encouraging community to undertake specific tasks such as setting up ambulance service, addressing specific health issues, collecting water for the health centre and health facility maintenance/repairs

• Health education on areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, nutrition, breastfeeding and hygiene

• Follow up of TB/HIV patients

• Assisting in clinics (weighing, record keeping)

• Providing nutrition/cookery classes

• Providing health education in health facilities

• Expanded Programme of Immunisation: defaulter tracing, mobilization of communities

• Advocating for community ownership of programmes (for example, support to CHO and CHPS programme in Ghana)

• Collecting data: community register and disease surveillance

• Promoting health insurance scheme

• Attending planned and emergency births

• Representing community at meetings (health committee, development committee)

• Distributing and checking use of bed nets

• Providing antenatal and postnatal care services

• Mass drug administration – distribution, house-to-house visits (annual)

• Linking with other volunteers (for example, working with other NGOs)

• Family planning education and contraceptive distribution

• Stimulating demand for and raising awareness of formal health services/referrals

• Referrals for complications in pregnancy, illnesses in under 5s, HIV VCT, burns/injuries