Community health workers (CHWs) have played a substantial, and growing, role in the progress made towards achievement of the three MDGs (Millennium Development Goals)  related to health- reduction in child deaths, improvement in maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. It has been postulated that community health workers can similarly provide appropriate care for non-communicable diseases. Trials done in India, Pakistan and Iran have shown that community health workers can successfully deliver a set of interventions related to screening, monitoring and counselling for Hypertension, Diabetes and Smoking- leading to improved clinical outcomes. 

 

At SEHAT, community health workers are the backbone of what we do. We believe that these workers can play a central role in timely diagnosis, coordination of clinical care and providing education and counselling to patients. We hope to generate more research to support an expanding role for these workers, and build a resource base that can be used by other organizations and individuals to recruit, train and monitor these workers.