HSG Hub

With the world currently experiencing a global pandemic alongside a shortage of health personnel to attend to millions of ailing people, Lynda Keeru of Pamoja Communications and Kate Hawkins from ReBUILD attended a timely webinar ‘The role of CHWs in future-proofing health systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings.’ The webinar brought together different speakers from a range of settings to discuss this vital topic. Most countries in the global south have a shortage of formal, educated, healthcare workers and are increasingly looking into a range of Community Health Workers (CHWs) to fill this critical gap. CHWs are particularly critical in fragile settings where there are additional challenges with delivering healthcare. CHWs have proved to be essential, trusted and first-line responders providing health services in settings affected by conflict and disasters. Bridging the gap During the webinar, we heard that CHWs are part of communities and work closely with local leaders – they are familiar with the local norms and culture and are accepted. CHWs often have existing relationships that enable good access to the community, and on an individual level, they often have a sense of duty and willingness to serve their communities. As discussed by Mushtaq Khan, drawing on programme experiences in Yemen, Syria, and…