Guinea Bissau has selected the Gabú and Oio regions as pilot areas for implementation of the new ECOWAS Regional Community Health Policy.
The decision was reached during a three day national engagement workshop in Bissau organized by the West African Health Organization and the country’s Ministry of Public Health.
The pilot marks a shift from regional policy discussion to practical implementation at community level.
Community health workers, national institutions, local authorities and residents are expected to have defined roles.
Participants stressed national ownership, coordination across sectors and community participation.
About 60 representatives from public institutions, private organizations, civil society and community groups attended the workshop.
Discussions covered priority interventions, responsibility sharing, costed action plans, monitoring and health information systems.
A regional community health information platform was also considered.
WAHO Director General Melchior Athanase Joël C. Aïssi said the pilot offered an opportunity to turn regional commitments into measurable national action.
Guinea Bissau’s Health Ministry has emphasized the need to improve access for people living far from formal health facilities.
Community health workers are expected to act as a bridge between health services and remote populations.
The programme comes amid continuing challenges including high maternal and infant mortality, large out of pocket health expenditure and limited system capacity.
The country is also responding to an mpox outbreak.
Community health workers have already been involved in door to door awareness campaigns, demonstrating their potential role in disease surveillance and emergency response.
The ECOWAS policy is expected to cover routine care, health promotion, early disease detection and outbreak response.
The Gabú and Oio pilots will allow authorities to identify operational gaps before a broader national rollout.
For ECOWAS, the programme will provide evidence about whether a common regional community health framework can be adapted successfully to national health systems.
