Adding value and equity to primary healthcare through partnership working to establish a viable community health workers’ programme in Namibia

Community health worker (CHW ) programmes have been criticized on two fronts: either as being inappropriate for effectively improving healthcare in impoverished societies, or as being fraught with relationship problems between partners. This paper uses an example from Namibia to suggest that both these criticisms can be overcome: the first by clarifying the objectives of a CHW programme, the second by careful planning. It is concluded that CHW programmes do have a legitimate and important role to play in the delivery of primary healthcare in developing countries. In particular, at a small incremental cost, they can reduce inequalities in access to and utilization of formal healthcare services by deprived communities.