Project Background
The Nandi County Department of Health, SHOPS Plus, Twinings, Eastern Produce Kenya, Afya Research Africa and the Chepsire community partnered to implement a community co-managed primary healthcare delivery model to support better access to reproductive, maternal, child and newborn health services in Chepsire sub-county, Nandi County. The project was an adaptation of the Ubuntu-Afya Kiosk model, designed and managed by Afya Research Africa (ARA), and being implemented in 25 other locations. Chepsire dispensary located in Tinderet sub-county, Nandi County hosts EPK Savani tea factory and tea farms which also process tea leaves from local small-holder tea farmers. The people of Chepsire receive primary healthcare services from Chepsire dispensary, which was initially housed in a 3-roomed structure with no electricity and water supply, and supported by a single nurse and a nurse aide. The project envisaged partnership with community self-help groups to provide managerial support and oversight; and incorporate supplementary enterprises to help cross-subsidize the cost of providing enhanced sustainable RMNCH services. An initial engagement with the county government of Nandi, the Savani EPK tea factory team, and the Chepsire community culminated in the development of a working relationship defined through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ARA, SHOPS and the Nandi County Government Ministry of Health on one hand, and a second MOU between ARA and the Buriet Chepkiwen community group on the other hand. This relationship resulted in the refurbishment of Chepsire Dispensary into a larger premise, initially partly developed by an affiliate community-based organization, the Siret Outgrowers empowerment program; and the incorporation of Buriet Chepkiwne women group, in the management of the facility.
Initial project implementation results and impact
The refurbishment resulted in an upgrade of the facility from a three-room facility to an eight-room facility. The facility has a maternal and child health unit, a labour room, a delivery room, a postnatal room, a laboratory, a separate consultation room, a pharmacy and a reception area. After the refurbishment and equipping, the facility is now able to offer:
- Maternity and delivery services
- Immunization services
- Minor surgical procedures
- Laboratory diagnostic tests
- NHIF accredited services for people enrolled in NHIF and Linda
- Mama NHIF package for expectant mothers.
The facility was officially launched and started operations in October, 2020. Since then, the facility has facilitated over 15,000 patient interactions to date. These consist mostly of individuals accessing RMNCH services and other primary health services.
ARA Project Scope for additional support/this project
ARA will work collaboratively with Twinings to provide additional support to Chepsire Dispensary. This additional support is funded by Twinings; under this support, ARA will undertake the following activities, in close coordination with Twinings, Nandi County Government Ministry of Health and other local stakeholders:
- Refurbish the old dispensary premise to a staff quarter to accommodate two clinical staff members on duty at a time.
- Support additional staff for the facility to offer 24-hour and 7 days a week services
- Support the community mobilization for the uptake of RMNCH services and other services at Chepsire Dispensary.
- Engage with the ministry of health team to deploy additional permanent staff to sustain the 24 hours operations beyond the one year support.
- Coordinate day-to-day implementation activities at Chepsire Dispensary including meeting with relevant stakeholders, tracking activities, and following up on other requests.
- Monitoring the performance of the clinic service provision and reporting key indicators to Twinings.
Funder: Twining Tea
Partners: EPK Savani, Sireet OEP, Nandi county Ministry of Health
Project Location: Nandi County
Duration: 2023 – 2023
