IRIN Examines Lay Health Workers' Role in Kenya

IRIN examines whether training "lay health care workers," which "has been hailed as the only way Africa can keep scaling up HIV services," can compensate for the shortage of medical professionals on the continent. In Kenya, there are about 2,000 "trained and certified" lay health workers in the public sector, and Family Health International "has had generally good results," with its lay counsellors. "There are limitations because they are not adequately trained to deal with severe cases, like the management of discordant couples and dealing with any side effects that might arise from the use of antiretroviral therapy," said Esther Kathurima, psychosocial coordinator with AIDS Population and Health Integrated Assistance. "Andrew Suleh, chairman of the Kenya Medical Association, said lay counsellors should not become a long-term replacement for professional health workers," IRIN writes (8/12).

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