Volunteer Health Team (VHT) Maintenance

The Dr. Deo Sekimpi VHT Model

Developed in 2015 in partnership with Dr. Deo Sekimpi, Secretary General of the Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health and long-time advisor to Omni Med, this model strengthens and sustains Uganda’s Village Health Teams (VHTs).

While over 1,400 VHTs have completed Omni Med’s initial week-long training, many across Uganda receive little follow-up or supervision, leaving them under-supported and disconnected from the broader health system. The Dr. Deo Sekimpi VHT Maintenance Model was designed to close this gap by providing ongoing training, mentorship, and motivation — ensuring VHTs remain active, skilled, and integrated within the national health framework.

GW Nursing students doing hypertension screening

There are five essential components to the

VHT Maintenance program:

VHT Leadership

We hold elections to establish VHT leaders in every village, parish and subcounty. Mukono is large enough to require two VHT leaders for the 7 subcounties in which we work. As such, starting in 2015, we held elections throughout 7 sub counties Mukono and now have elected VHT Supervisors in every parish. The leadership model is designed to allow information flows to and from the communities, us, and the health system. In 2017, we expanded into Nakisunga sub county.

VHT Volunteering

For many years, we have coordinated a program in which VHTs volunteer in local hospitals. We have two full-time Omni Med employees working in two hospitals facilitating the connections between VHTs and hospital staffs. This strengthens the bonds between VHTs and local health providers and allows VHTs to more easily refer patients to the hospital when needed. VHTs also learn valuable skills while serving and several have gone on to have careers in the Ugandan health system. We have seen a steady erosion of the friction between VHTs and local health providers since adopting this model.

VHT Gathering

We have found it important to bring all VHTs in a region together to keep them engaged motivated. We invite local and regional leaders to the gatherings and hold day-long educational sessions as well. We have found that these gatherings strengthen VHT ties to each other and to their work.

Quarterly Meeting

Quarterly meetings give VHTs the chance to share challenges, exchange ideas, and refresh their training. These are held throughout the district, year-round, usually lasting two hours. Each meeting begins with brief updates and discussion, followed by health education sessions designed and delivered by volunteers.

Topics have included (among 15 completed talks thus far):

Mental health and community support strategies
Hypertension prevention and management
Cancer awareness and early detection
Malaria prevention and treatment
HIV care, stigma reduction, and referral systems
Nutrition and child feeding practices
Vaccinations and immunization campaigns
Emerging issues such as COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, and family planning

These trainings keep VHTs informed and motivated, while reinforcing their vital role as the first link in Uganda’s health system.

Home Visits

VHTs find value in support from our staff and volunteers, which enhances their legitimacy among their neighbors, and, likely, in their own eyes. We fill out detailed questionnaires at the outset of each meeting, tracking the number of homes each VHT monitors, as well as significant updates in local communities and individual households. Our staff and the VHTs together review life-saving preventive health measures in laminated sheets in the local language. This lasting reference sheet serves as a reminder later on; we have distributed several thousand through the years. In recent years, we have also distributed ORTubes to hundreds of VHTs with plans to cover the entire district in time.