An integrated approach of community health worker support for HIV/AIDS and TB care in Angónia district, Mozambique

BACKGROUND: The need to scale up treatment for HIV/AIDS has led to a revival in community health workers to help alleviate the health human resource crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. Community health workers have been employed in Mozambique since the 1970s, performing disparate and fragmented activities, with mixed results. METHODS: A participant-observer description of the evolution of community health worker support to the health services in Angónia district, Mozambique. RESULTS: An integrated community health team approach, established jointly by the Ministry of Health and Médecins Sans Frontières in 2007, has improved accountability, relevance, and geographical access for basic health services. CONCLUSION: The community health team has several advantages over 'disease-specific' community health worker approaches in terms of accountability, acceptability, and expanded access to care.