Benin: Community Case Management

Under the current community Community Health Worker (CHW) policy 2019–2024, CHWs perform malaria related activities under integrated Community Case Management and the broader, national community-based High-Impact Intervention package (PIHI). [1] 

CHWs test febrile children five years of age and under for malaria using RDTs and provides ACTs to those children who test positive. They also conduct home visits to educate household members about malaria prevention, including the importance of seeking clinical care early.  

To date, 66 of 77 communes in the country are covered by PIHI interventions under the following donor-led mechanisms: USAID (17 communes), UNICEF (23 communes), and Global Fund (26 communes). 

However, Benin has recently adopted a new CHW policy that is based on sectoral policies guidelines by the Ministry of Planning and Development of Benin. The vision of the new policy is as follows: “By 2030, Benin has an integrated, efficient, resilient and sustainable community health system based on the ‘One Health’ approach through an improved, permanent availability of basic curative, promotional, preventive and palliative care services and full participation of all community stakeholders for the well-being of all.”  

The development and rollout of the new policy will be coordinated by the secretariat of the CNLS-TP. The strategy will be based on the current CHWs and the Qualified health worker (ASQs) – who are CHWs with a higher level of education than the ordinary CHWs. ASQs will receive a more enhanced training than the existing community healthcare worker cadre and will take over the case management functions as well as the supervision of the CHWs. The current CHWs will be in charge of prevention and promotional health services, including home visits and SBC activities. 

The new policy will also introduce a monthly stipend of 100,000 fcfa (approximately $180) for ASQ and 50,000 fcfa (approximately $90) for the CHWs. With funding from the Global Fund’s Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health, the MOH will be overseeing the implementation of PIHI in eight additional communes in 2021. It is anticipated that by the end of 2021, PIHI will be implemented at 74 of the 77 communes in Benin.