CHIPS PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE .

Have you ever sit on one place from 8am till 5pm? How did you feel? I believe you will feel the same way l did for yesterday and today. This usually happens on a training and other important gathering. Few weeks ago, Notice was sent to our WhatsApp group, informing us of the six days training on CHIPS Agent program. The training starts from 23rd to 28th June 2025.

Do you what CHIPS means? The abbreviation means Community health Influencers promoters and services.

They are community-based workers who promote health awareness, provide basic health services, and connect community members to healthcare resource.

I always wake up, early prepare my two and left to the training centre. The venue was Primary health care,Nung udoe. Each day,I endeavour to arrival early, In most cases, I do meet my colleague sleeping the hall, followed by prayer and recap of day.

Each day has training topics,on this day we cover knowing your community with include, mapping of the community, knowing how the community is organised and how it functions, how to use household register properly, factors promoting health and causes different of disease in the community and lot more.

They taught us alot of things, but the one will never forget was step in conducting home visit.

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I realised that before I visit a house,I should plan and prepare for the visit, I should ensure that there is sufficient supplies and also reviewed what might be the need of the household.

When we enter people house, we should greet and introduce herself, ask for the head of household. We should register all the house hold members and health educate them on water sanitation, environment hygiene and proper use of long-lasting insecticidal treated Net.

If we meet a pregnant woman,we should counsel on proper nutrition, Good 8 anti natal visit, birth preparedness and complication readiness. We should also them our people to see the merits and demerits of house delivery and encourage them on the process post natal care.

Taking care of the newborn require support, love and care for all the family members as such if we have so many children,it can turn a big issue in the family. It is advisable for let people know about family planning/ Child Spacing.

In one way or the other, our children can be sick, should we encourage self medication or should we go to hospital? Going to hospital is the best. It was emphasized that ,not all fever is malaria. Here in my environment, any time children run temperature, the first thing that comes into people mine is malaria. Remember, we carry out test in the hospital, just to rule out the accurate problem and then proper medication is also given. Some drugs are prescribed due to human body weight and age. People who practice self medication, don't remember this fact, instead they will tell you that, the same drug that works for Mr A will also work for Mr B.

The training covered a wide range course which helps participate to be equipped while performing their task in thier perspective community.

We had a tea break and lunch every day. All the meal was sumptuous and delicious. There was no boring moment, we use different song and dance to energies ourselves. It was fun to learn different new clap and was of appreciating our facilitator.

The essence of this post, is to alert you incase you see an individual in your community, who come with orange reflector, it is wise to know that the person is a CHIPS Agent. Her aim is to health educate community members and refer them to the nearest health centre. Although few medication and first aid box is given them. It is advisable for all individual to seek quick medical attention when necessary and avoid self medication.