Community health workers graduate

 VEIFA’A School of Nursing in Kairuku-Hiri district, Central, graduated 43 community health workers on Saturday.

The workers from the Catholic-run institution will join 3891 community health workers in the country, according to the Department of Health (DoH).

“We need more manpower to close the gaps in our community and rural health systems because more than 80% of the country’s population lives in rural areas where health services are greatly needed,” said Elva Lionel, the deputy secretary for national health policy and corporate services.

Lionel said the Health Department needed to work with the Government to open up closed aid posts in rural areas that had shut down due to shortage of drugs and run-down facilities.

She thanked the church health services providing services in remote areas where the government and Health Department could not reach.

Principal Sr Marlene Dewar congratulated the graduates for completing their two-and-a-half-year diploma programme and urged them to serve the community well.

Kairuku-Hiri MP Peter Isoaimo attended the graduation and presented K30,000, and pledged the same amount for the school annually in his term.