The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City today announced that it had just launched a project to develop a network of community health workers.
The network of CHWs will be a helper of commune health stations in effectively implementing community health programs for households in Ho Chi Minh City in the coming years.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City, the southern largest city has the necessary conditions to form a network of community health workers; for instance, the support policy for human resources has been approved by the People's Council of Ho Chi Minh City’s Resolution No. 22/2023/NQ-HĐND.
Moreover, the municipal People's Committee also issued Decision No. 5632/QD-UBND promulgating the Project ‘Special policies to develop a network of community health workers’ and the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City has recently issued the guidelines for the selection of community health collaborators.
According to the World Health Organization, Community Health Workers (CHWs) model already exists in many countries around the world such as India, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and many other countries on different continents.
Community health workers (CHWs) have enormous potential to extend healthcare services to vulnerable populations, such as communities living in remote areas and historically marginalized people, to meet unmet health needs.
Community health workers go through a much shorter training period than professional workers. CHWs can contribute to the prevention and control of disease, management of chronic disease, vaccination, nutritional consultation and reproductive health. They bridge the gap between the community and the formal health sector.
