Supporting community-based health workers (CHWs)
Overview
The last few years have seen growing interest and attention in the potential of various types of community-based health workers (CHWs) in reducing inequities in access to essential health services, particularly in under-served or excluded, vulnerable populations.
The WHO Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 encourages countries to adopt a diverse, sustainable skills mix, harnessing the potential of community-based and mid-level health workers in inter-professional primary care teams.
WHO developed Guideline on health policy and system support to optimize community health worker programmes to assist national governments, and their partners, to improve the design, implementation, performance and evaluation of CHW programmes, thereby contributing to the attainment of universal health coverage and the health Sustainable Development Goal targets.
