Multisectoral action towards sustainable health and WASH management systems for Stanytsa Luhanska and Novotroitske EECPs and their referral medical facilities -  in GCA. The project proposes a multisectoral intervention in Stanytsia Luhanska (Luhansk region) and Volnovaha (Donetsk region) rayons to strengthen the sustainability of area-based health and WASH management systems of Stanytsa Luhanska and Novotroitske Entry-Exit Check-Points (EECPs) and their respective referral medical facilities. In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and in collaboration with the local NGO Infection control in Ukraine (ICiU), the Ministry of Social Policy’s (MoSP), as well as the National Social Service of Ukraine IOM intends to provide an integrated health, WASH and protection response that will address humanitarian needs and support the local governments’ capacities to structure more sustainable and evidence-based systems for essential service provision. The project will support local mechanisms through data tracking of key health indicators (communicable, including COVID-19, and non-communicable diseases) flow analysis of waste management review, enhancement and dissemination of referral mechanisms in-kind support to key medical facilities and operational support to local government’s Mental Health Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) units.
IOM and WHO will work closely with the health and WASH clusters to ensure that key national and global cluster indicators are included in the assessments at EECPs and referral medical facilities based on pre-validated infection prevention and control (IPC) tools. These tools will be sensitive to the differential needs of gender, age and vulnerability groups (including persons with disabilities) allowing for a better understanding of the target mobile communities and ensuring that specific needs are reflected in local response plans, essential service delivery and referral mechanisms. To foster community ownership and respect of context sensitivities, the project will train local youth to be enumerators and monitors.
To strengthen local public health measures on combating the spread of infectious diseases, the project proposes a gap analysis at the two EECPs and at a pool of referral facilities identified through a mapping exercise. The outcomes will allow to better understand local capacities, define the concurrent and/or subsidiary roles of national, regional and local systems for public health response, identify priority interventions and develop recommendations to strengthen patient management at EECPs and onward referral, including for COVID-19 cases. These findings and thorough coordination with all relevant actors will inform training packages to be carried out by IOM/WHO and serve as recommendations for other international and government stakeholders as well as the development of Standard Operating Procedures to be disseminated amongst key health stakeholders, EECPs and relevant government bodies, to understand their replicability and scalability potential, including for Points of Entry (PoE). Further, IPC gaps will be identified through a thorough assessment and will inform preventive behavior training plans for community health and social workers to ensure dissemination of best practices and capacity building in local communities.
In the optic of further improving the sustainability of local prevention and response capacities-where large gaps were identified by both the health and the WASH cluster, as reflected in the HNO 2021-the analytical efforts will be complemented with material support to identified key referral institutions, including provision of essential IPC equipment, structural enhancements of the premises to ensure equitable access by persons with reduced mobility, and delivery of bulk hygiene supplies. The content of kits will be in line with WASH cluster recommendations and adapted as per IOM's substantial hygiene kit support experience with packages of 3-6 months support provided. IPC assessments will be conducted by IOM's implementing partner to assess equipment and training gaps to inform further assistance packages.!SEE COMMENTS