Health professionals play a central and pivotal role in development of access and quality health care for the population. They provide essential services that promote health, prevent and contain diseases and deliver health care services to individuals, families and communities based on the primary health care approach. Systems for developing the strengths and skills of health professionals will be important to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
The roles and activities of community health workers (CHWs) are tailored to meet the unique needs of the communities they cater to. A CHWs’ role also depends on various factors like whether they work in the healthcare or social services sectors. Generally, CHWs hold the following roles :
- Creating connections between at-risk populations and healthcare systems
- Facilitating healthcare and social service system
- Managing care and care transitions for at-risk populations
- Reducing social isolation among patients
- Determining eligibility and enrolling individuals into health insurance schemes
- Ensuring cultural awareness among healthcare professionals serving at-risk populations
- Educating health system providers about community health needs
- Providing culturally suitable health education on topics related to chronic disease prevention, physical activity and nutrition
- Advocating for unmerited individuals to receive appropriate services
- Collecting data and propagating information to policymakers to inform policy change and development
- Providing informal counselling, health screenings, and referrals
- Building capacity to address health issues
The World Health Report 2006: Working Together for Health highlighted a worldwide shortage of almost 4.3 million doctors, midwives, nurses and support workers. Thirty-six of the 57 countries with s shortages are in Africa. Responding to this dire crisis, the 59th World Health Assembly adopted Resolution WHA59.23 which recognized the “centrality of human resources for health for the effective operation of country health systems” and called for the use of innovative strategies to maximize health professionals’ contributions.
The role of the community health worker started as a sociological position, appointed by and responsible to the community’s members. Advocates and activists invested their time and talents to ensuring that local people received the health information, resources and health care services they want.
The success of their efforts has caused many government agencies, non-profit organizations, faith-based groups and health care providers to create well paid positions for community health workers to help decrease, and in some cases eradicate the persistent disparities in health care and health outcomes in underprivileged communities. The organizations benefit by gaining access to information about health care needs in these communities, which they can use to improve the design of health services.
