Primary healthcare and MHPSS service provision for IDP returnees in Gedeo, West Guji and East Wollega Zones in Oromia and SNNPR regions (Health and MHPSS) IOM proposes to continue to deliver quality primary healthcare services, including MHPSS, by deploying four MHNTs to IDP returns sites that have limited to no healthcare service access. Prioritization of the Woredas was done focusing on areas hosting large number of IDP returns with high morbidity and mortality reports from preventable infectious diseases as a result of limited healthcare access. Limited access to health services is attributed to long distances between the return sites to health facilities. In addition, health facilities in these areas are observed to be non-functional due to understaffing and/or damaged infrastructure during the conflict period. 

The proposed intervention will be implemented in West Guji East Wollega and Gedeo zones in Woredas of Kercha, Guto Gida and Yirgacheffe Woreda and Yirgacheffe town respectively. The health teams will provide primary health care including MHPSS services to IDP returnees and host communities, with all individuals with specific needs within the project catchment areas benefiting equally. The health teams will be based at understaffed health posts close to IDP sites and they will conduct outreach services in hard-to-reach areas two days a week. The outreach interventions and deployment of health staff will contribute to health system strengthening including primary healthcare provision, service capacity building training, and basic medical equipment and supply, which are core components of this proposal. The services provided by the health teams will comprise medical consultations, under five screening for malnutrition and referral, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to women of reproductive age including family planning and  antenatal care (ANC), health education and promotion, early warning and disease surveillance, as well as mental health and psycho- social support. Capacity strengthening training for health providers will also be delivered. MHPSS intervention will focus on providing capacity building training on WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) to frontline health workers and provide supportive supervision. The training will aim to ensure that minimum standards as established by the IASC guidelines for MHPSS interventions in emergency settings are followed. In addition, mental health awareness sessions will be organized during the global mental health celebration. Videos and educational manuals are being developed to address the COVID related gathering restrictions. Universities with which IOM has already some partnerships will help cascade the training. Women and children and other vulnerable groups with disability and the elderly will be given priority in the services. The health teams will also support the respective Zonal and Woreda health bureaus in immunization campaign by availing staff whenever the need arises. 

In addition to the provision of primary healthcare services, the team will be responding to the currently ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, index case confirmed in Ethiopia on March 13th, 2020 with a total of 126 cases confirmed so far. The country is already in scenario 3 response and the state of emergency has been declared. The IDPs in the selected Woredas are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreak due to lack of information and living condition (collective sites or crowded housing). The intervention will intensify community sensitization with key preventive messaging, print and distribute IEC/BCC materials (RCCE), cascade case management/IPC capacity building trainings to active case finding and immediate referral of suspected cases to the designated quarantine facilities, support the zonal taskforce/EOC with coordination of the COVID-19 response and support selected COVID-19 isolation units, including by providing basic equipment/supplies.