BCC seeks to recruit community health workers

The Bulawayo City Council (BCC), is set to recruit 120 community health workers to improve health service delivery around the city.

This is contained in the latest Full Council minutes where the Director of Health Services Department, Dr Edwin Sibanda-Mzingwane, reported that the city was operating with less than the required personnel.

Dr Sibanda-Mzingwane noted that the city had a total of 160 community health workers instead of the required 260.

He said that the Ministry of Health and Child Care with support from UNICEF had availed support to train 120 more community health workers.

“The Director of Health Services reported (7th June, 2023) that it had been observed that the Community Health Workers in Bulawayo City were fewer than the mandated Ministry of Health and Child Care coverage of 1: 100 households to account for the expanded scope of services,” the minutes read. 

“Currently the city was covered by 160 Community Health Workers instead of 260. Some vast areas were not covered by any health worker. This resulted in the communities not accessing some services. The Ministry of Health and Child Care with support from UNICEF had availed support to train 120 more Community Health Workers.”

Dr Sibanda-Mzingwane noted that the health services department would train the community health workers in a 3-week course and hence was looking for volunteers who may be interested.

“The volunteers should be between aged 18 to 45 years, be citizens of Zimbabwe and should be resident of the catchment area and willing to spend significant time within the catchment area,” he said.

“They should be competent in local languages, should demonstrate the ability to read/write through a competency-based approach, rather than certification only based approach, to allow equal chances for women, people living with disability and other underserved groups.”

Dr Sibanda added that interested candidates should also possess good communication and interpersonal skills, be people of integrity, in good standing with the community and demonstrate commitment to community service.