Provision of Life saving primary healthcare and MHPSS service for IDPs in Tigray and Amhara, regions IOM currently provides essential primary health care services across 19 IDP sites in Tigray and Amhara regions. IOM proposes to continue to deliver quality lifesaving primary healthcare services, including mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS), by deploying five mobile health and nutrition teams (MHNTs) to IDP return sites that have limited to no healthcare service access and by deploying health personnel to accessible health facilities. Prioritization of the Woredas was done focusing on areas hosting large numbers of IDPs with no healthcare services and prone to disease outbreaks due to poor living conditions. Limited access to health services is attributed to the collapse of the health care system and insecurity which limits movements to facilities. In addition, health facilities which are accessible in these areas are observed to be non-functional due to understaffing and/or damaged infrastructure. IOM proposes to support revitalization of health care services in accessible health centres and/or health posts in Tigray with particular focus on Sheraro and Maysebri zones. The proposed project aims to contribute to the improvement of health conditions for crisis-affected populations in Ethiopia through the delivery of essential health services and effective response to outbreaks in Northern Ethiopia (Tigray and Amhara regions) for a period of 6 months. The implementation will involve direct IOM implementation as well as system strengthening/capacity building of health bureaus to adequately respond to public health emergencies and outbreaks into the future.

The proposed intervention will be implemented in Mekelle, Shire, Adwa, Sheraro and Maysebri in the Tigray Region and Dabaat, Kebero Meda, Debark in the Amhara Region. The health teams will provide primary health care including MHPSS services to IDP returnees and host communities with due attention to all individuals with specific needs within the project target areas benefiting equally. The health teams will be based at static health facilities within the IDP sites, and in accessible nonfunctional health posts/ health centres close to IDP sites. The teams will conduct outreach services in hard-to-reach areas two days a week. Capacity strengthening training for health providers will also be delivered. MHPSS interventions will focus on providing capacity building training to frontline health workers and provide supportive supervision. In addition, mental health awareness sessions will be organized during the World Mental Health Day. 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 Regional, Zonal and Woreda health bureaus in immunization campaigns 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. As of 26th August 2021, Ethiopia has confirmed 300,092 COVID-19 cases with 12,166 and 8,171 cases in Amhara and Tigray regions, respectively. The IDPs in the selected Woredas are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks due to a lack of access to information regarding infection prevention and control and poor living conditions. The intervention will intensify community sensitization with key preventive messaging, print and distribute Information Education Communication and Behavior Change Communication IEC/BCC materials, Risk Communication and Community Engagement(RCCE), cascade case management/ Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) capacity building trainings to active case finding and immediate referral of suspected cases to  the designated isolation facilities, support the zonal taskforce/Emergency Operations Center (EOC) with coordination of the COVID-19 response and support selected COVID-19 isolation units, including by providing basic equipment.