Kandara interface meeting in Naaro dispensary
CDM – Caritas is conducting a governance project in partnership with AHADI under the USAID and UKAID funding for citizen engagement. The project aims at strengthening devolution through active citizen participation. In Kandara Sub-county, the community was mobilized to undertake a community score card activity at Naaro Dispensary which brought together 2 dispensary staffs, community members, Cell members (community facilitators) and CDM – Caritas staffs.
An introduction was undertaken by CDM – Caritas staffs to assist the community and service providers (staffs working in the dispensary) to understand the meaning and purpose of social accountability, and specifically, the use of community score cards as a tool for mutual assessment and feedback on quality of public service delivery.
During the meeting, the community acknowledged the importance of the forum and appreciated the fact that they had been engaged in the process since the generation of issues up to the consolidation meeting where service providers had the opportunity to meaningfully engage with the community and rate their own performance.
Caritas staffs played a neutral role of facilitating both the community and the service providers to objectively look at their scoring and supported both parties to come up with mutually agreeable action points to improve the quality of service delivery. The table below demonstrates some of the issues raised, mitigation and timelines for improvement.
| Priority theme(list of issues) | Action(Activities needed to address the issue) | Who(Name/ Institution) | With(assisted by: name/institution) | When (Deadline) | Resources |
| Erratic supply of medical supply | -Timely ordering
-Community Dialogue. -Community participation in Budgeting process. |
-Njuguna- 0725885635
-Chief Mwangi- 0720898021 -Charles Kiganjo- 0725759289 |
-Sub-county pharmacist
-Sabina- 0797388715 -Waithera- 0723655628 |
-Quarterly
-End of march/2019 -June/2019 |
-Computer, stationaries, transport
-airtime -airtime, transport |
| Shortage of staff
pharmaceutical -Lab tech -3 nurses -1 clinical officer -HTS provider -1 social worker -1 cleaner -1 day watchman -1 night watchman |
– Community mobilization and sensitization
– Community dialogue |
Catherine- 0725852997 | Patrick Chomba- 0721790378 | End of April/2019 | Airtime, Transport |
| Poor Infrastructure.
-Water shortage -Stalled building |
Petitioning
-Community participation in budgeting cycle |
Catherine- 0725852997 | Charles- 0725759289 | June, 2019 | Transport, Airtime |
During the subsequent interface meeting, the community noted that there has been tremendous improvements in the quality of services provided by the dispensary since the change of staff early in February 2019. The community commended the nurse in-charge, acknowledging that he has been coming very early (by 7am) compared to the previous staffs who would arrive at 10 am. In addition to improvements in the quality of services, the community also noted that drugs are now available. The team agreed to be ambassadors for the facility and support the dispensary to provide even better services.
The Nurse in-charge also lauded the efforts, appreciating the opportunity given to share, interact with, and support the community. He also took the opportunity to respond to issues and some of the gaps that were identified by the community and acknowledged that he will take the scores as important community feedback that will enable him to know where to put more efforts and where to change. He also urged the community to continue supporting the dispensary and always visit the facility before seeking services elsewhere.
development of indicator