Don’t Act Like Doctors, Tayebwa Tells Mitooma Community Health Workers

What the report says

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has told 155 newly trained Community Health Extension Workers in Mitooma District to avoid acting like clinicians and instead concentrate on health education, prevention and referrals. The remarks were delivered on Monday at the workers’ passing-out ceremony at Mitooma District headquarters, attended by Ministry of Health officials and local leaders, according to Nile Post.

Tayebwa said the workers should serve as community-level links to the health system by spotting risks, advising households, promoting immunisation and antenatal care, and directing patients to formal facilities for treatment. He also encouraged local leaders to give them speaking slots at public gatherings, including burial events, so health messages can reach residents more widely. He cautioned the workers not to set up informal clinics or treat patients, and said the bicycles and other items issued to them were work tools, not personal gifts.

The report says Tayebwa linked the programme to Mitooma’s health needs, including hard-to-reach communities, forest-bordering areas and malaria concerns. He also urged attention to lifestyle-related illnesses and to women’s routine maternal care. Mitooma District health official Julius Taremwa said the new workers could help narrow gaps between households and health facilities, noting that some sub-counties still lack adequate access to care and that the district’s staffing levels remain low.

Director General of Health Services Dr Charles Olaro said the deployment fits a broader Ministry of Health push toward prevention-focused care. In general, community health worker programmes are often used to improve early detection, health education and referrals in underserved areas.