The Community Health Services Bill, 2023
Status Timeline
Proposed
Active now
Public Review
Pending
Debate
Pending
Executive
Pending
Final
Pending
Mandatory Stipends for Volunteers
Under Section 10(3), community health volunteers must be appointed under terms and conditions that include a stipend. The stipend amount is determined by the respective county executive committee member in consultation with the County Public Service Board and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
Official County Register of Volunteers
Section 12 requires each County Director of Health to maintain a register of all community health volunteers working in the county. Volunteers are obligated to notify the registrar of any changes to their particulars within 14 days, and the registrar must verify and record these changes within seven days.
Establishment of Community Health Committees
Pursuant to Section 9, a Community Health Committee will be established in each community health unit. The committee consists of:
- A community health volunteer selected by peers
- The local Chief
- Elected community representatives (one woman, one person with a disability, and one youth representative)
- A ward public health officer
- A community health officer (serving as ex officio member and secretary)
- One representative from a health non-governmental organization
Bill No.
Senate Bills No. 24 of 2023
Gazette No.
Supplement No. 81 of 2023
Sponsor
Moses Kajwang
Background
The Community Health Services Bill, 2023 seeks to provide a statutory framework to regulate community health services, promote access to primary healthcare, and reduce health disparities across counties. The Bill aligns with the First Schedule of the Health Act, 2017, which recognizes community health services at Level 1 as a devolved county government function in compliance with Article 43 of the Constitution.
Key Amendments
- National Government Role: Formulates national policies, sets service and qualification standards, designs reporting tools, conducts research, and reviews training modules for the community health workforce (Section 5).
- County Government Role: Implements national policies, mobilizes resources, builds tech infrastructure, and coordinates community health educational programs (Section 6).
- Community Health Officers: Competitively recruited by the County Public Service Board to coordinate local health activities, supervise volunteers, compile health data, manage information systems, and refer patients to link facilities (Section 7).
- Community Health Committees: Established to oversee local health services and comprised of community, administrative, NGO, and public health representatives (Section 9).
New Obligations
- Volunteer Functions: Community health volunteers are obligated under Section 11 to conduct disease surveillance, monitor household health statuses, maintain household registers, offer advice on sanitation/hygiene, monitor child growth (under five years), render first aid, and report adverse drug reactions.
- Ethical and Data Standards: Volunteers must perform their duties ethically, ensure confidentiality, explain how captured data will be used, and guarantee residents access to their personal data (Section 11(3)).
- Public Reporting and Transparency: Each county executive committee member must publish and publicize information on available community health services, local health challenges, and workforce directories on an accessible county website (Section 14). At the end of each financial year, they must submit a progress report to the county assembly (Section 15).
Transitional Provisions
Under Section 19, all existing rights, obligations, and public officers serving under national or county governments in respect to community health services prior to the effective date will continue to subsist and be deemed to be in the service of their respective governments.
No updates tracked yet
Updates will be visible here once they are approved and applied to this bill.