Ugandan midwife receives 2016 International Health Workforce Award.

Ms. Damalie Inhensiko and the other winners of the award at the celebration event in GenevaMs. Damali Inhensiko, an enrolled midwife at Inhula Health Centre II, in Luuka district, Busoga region received the 2016 International Health Workforce Award for her exceptional contribution to the health work force in her community.
Inhensiko received this award at the 69th World Health Assembly (WHA) that was held in Geneva in Switzerland from 23rd to 28th May 2016 to recognize outstanding health workers and individuals who have demonstrated significant achievements in the field of human resources for health (HRH).

Professor Francis Omaswa, ACHEST Executive Director and the founding Executive Director of the Global Health Work Force Alliance (GHWA) attended the event as well and while speaking at the celebrations to mark 10 years of the (GHWA) on 26th May 2016 in Geneva pointed out some challenges facing the health workforce and cautioned that; the push for Community Health workers should not be communicated as if they are the whole solution to HWF crisis in Africa.

Prof. Omaswa noted that; “Community Health Workers (CHWs) need support from the population as well as from higher professional cadres and those who support African work should focus more on building indigenous institutional capacity.” He also called for unity and cohesion among the actors in HWF at global, regional and country level urging better use and strengthening of country and regional mechanisms that already exist. Professor Omaswa was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for his leadership role as the founding Executive Director of GHWA.

Ms. Inhensiko works in a rural, hard to reach health centre in Uganda, where she is the only health worker at the facility handling both clinical and administrative work for the past three years. Despite being a midwife and having successfully establishing reproductive health services at the health centre, she handles all other medical services at the facility (immunization and treating common cases like Malaria) and offers outreach services in the community, where she is assisted by community volunteers.