Table 4 CHW roles in comprehensive national programmes

Family health:

• Family planning

• Maternal, newborn and child health

• Nutrition

• Vaccination

Disease prevention and control:

• HIV/AIDS and STDs

• Tuberculosis

• Malaria

• First aid

Hygiene and environmental sanitation:

• Construction and maintenance of sanitary latrines

• Solid and liquid waste disposal

• Water supply safety

• Control of insects and rodents

• Food hygiene and safety

• Personal hygiene

• Healthy home environment

Health education and communication

Environmental health:

• Hygiene, sanitation and water supply

• Disease surveillance and outbreak response

• Vector and vermin control

Maternal-child health:

• Immunization, vitamin A, de-worming; growth monitoring, nutritional supplementation, tetanus vaccination;

• Integrated community case management

Reproductive health:

• Condoms and oral and injectable contraceptives

HIV/TB:

• Testing/screening, follow-up, drug dispensing

Treatment and referral of minor ailments

Community education

Training and supervision of village health councils

Annual census

Providing basic health care:

• Maternal and child health, delivery

• Family planning

• Oral health

• Youth and elderly health

• Community-based rehabilitation

Preventive activities:

• Health education, screening

Disease management:

• Communicable and non-communicable diseases

School health:

• School environment

• Screening

Environmental health:

• Food safety, sanitation, safe water

Occupational health

Collaborations:

• Rural health councils

• Family doctors

Promoting community participation and inter-sectoral collaboration