Scholarlink

<p>Community health workers (CHWs) may play an important role in strengthening health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Global evidence suggests that CHWs can improve maternal and child health outcomes and expand access to essential care in low-resource contexts. In Somalia, where conflict, disease outbreaks, and workforce shortages constrain health service delivery, CHWs appear well-positioned to bridge gaps between communities and formal systems. Evidence from Somalia’s COVID-19 response indicates that CHWs identified approximately one-third of suspected cases and demonstrated higher case positivity rates than facility-based surveillance. CHWs have also contributed to maternal health service uptake in underserved areas. However, Somalia-specific evidence remains limited and context-dependent. Current CHW programs face challenges including inconsistent integration into national systems, variable supervision, and reliance on fragmented external support. Strengthening CHW contributions may require formal recognition within national health service frameworks, sustainable financing, standardized training protocols, and improved supervision mechanisms. While CHWs alone cannot resolve systemic health challenges, evidence suggests that deliberate investment in their capacity and integration could support broader health system resilience efforts in Somalia.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

The role of community health workers in strengthening health system resilience in Somalia

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月26日

查看全文
  • Liibaan Abdulahi Sudi,
  • Yakub Burhan Abdullahi,
  • Mohamed Daud Mohamed,
  • Abdikadir Ahmed Hassan,
  • Iqro Omar Ibrahim,
  • Abdirahman Mohamed Adan

摘要

Community health workers (CHWs) may play an important role in strengthening health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Global evidence suggests that CHWs can improve maternal and child health outcomes and expand access to essential care in low-resource contexts. In Somalia, where conflict, disease outbreaks, and workforce shortages constrain health service delivery, CHWs appear well-positioned to bridge gaps between communities and formal systems. Evidence from Somalia’s COVID-19 response indicates that CHWs identified approximately one-third of suspected cases and demonstrated higher case positivity rates than facility-based surveillance. CHWs have also contributed to maternal health service uptake in underserved areas. However, Somalia-specific evidence remains limited and context-dependent. Current CHW programs face challenges including inconsistent integration into national systems, variable supervision, and reliance on fragmented external support. Strengthening CHW contributions may require formal recognition within national health service frameworks, sustainable financing, standardized training protocols, and improved supervision mechanisms. While CHWs alone cannot resolve systemic health challenges, evidence suggests that deliberate investment in their capacity and integration could support broader health system resilience efforts in Somalia.