Emergency Health Response in South Wollo Zone, Amhara Region Health care services in Tigray are alarmingly limited, leaving hundreds of thousands of people, including the chronically ill and injured, without adequate access to essential medicines and basic services. Currently, only a few health facilities are operational/functional, and minimal services are provided. In addition, health extension programs have no supplies to resume their community-based health services. 

The conflict has had an immediate and direct psychological impact on the displaced, especially on children—families have been exposed to traumatic events and emotional distress related to conflict and `displacement.

CRS will provide lifesaving emergency health services and outbreak response for IDPs and people in accessible kebeles of south Tigray and in the prioritized Woredas. The project will work support Mobile Health and Nutrition Team (MHNT) to ensure quality service delivery at health facilities, and outreach including. The MHNT will support a wide a range of complementary health interventions including service delivery in health facilities and primary health centers and conducting surveillance of disease outbreak. The project will support community and health promotion activities, OPD consultation using MHNT to reach inaccessible areas.. Given the immense trauma faced in the region, the MHNT will include psychologists who will also provide Mental Health Psychosocial Services (MHPSS) focused on delivering messages and counselling to the affected communities.

CRS will work with the local woreda health office  to identify and reduce barriers at the health-facility level.  CRS will assess a sample of facilities for capacity to deliver the full range of ante and post-natal services including facility-based birthing centers, and adherence to newborn care as outlined in the MOH guidelines.  The project will create opportunities for men to learn the skills necessary to provide care and support to women to provide care and support to lactating/pregnant women whether these are active listening, cooking, cleaning, or providing basic medical attention. Bi-directional referral system has to be strengthened amp established by the project.  The MHNT will involve of HEWs and Women Health Development Armies (WHDAs) and Nurse Midwife from the local health centers for constant follow-up and community mobilization at the grassroot level. 

CRS support these health services in Raya Azebo, Raya Alamata, Maichew and Endamohoni to increase disease surveillance to identify risk factors and malnutrition, danger signs of illness, including COVID-19 to provide free outreach/mobile health and nutrition services with a focus to women and children, particularly to IDPs and people residing in remote areas. MHNT service package include child health services, maternal health services, capacity building (e.g., attachment of HEWs to MHNTs as on job training, logistics, reporting, referral and strengthening non-functional health facilities. CRS will receive Interagency Emergency health kits (IEHK) to meet the priority health needs of a population affected by emergencies to fill immediate medical gaps, primarily for “life-saving purpose, and helps to restore the existing medical supply chain mechanism in the targeted Woredas.

The team will regularly rotate in all kebeles to deliver the key primary service. CRS will use the existing health facilities as service delivery platform in the remote areas. The project continually liaises with Woreda health offices to identify specific health facilities to serve the most vulnerable populations, a team of midwives, counsellors, Clinical nurse, and health officer will carry out the day-to-day activities of child health, maternal health services and the community.