Summary of health sector:
The health sector went through many hardships at the beginning of intervention in humanitarian projects. YDN (Yemeni development network) did not have any previous information and data about the effective people and influencers in the health sector. There were no references that could be relied on. The network also had no health staff within its team, as well as being trained and qualified to implement and manage projects, report appropriately, communicate effectively with donors, gain their trust, and be able to write and market health projects.
Today YDN has become an active, effective and prominent member of the main health cluster and the sub-clusters, and participates in the health cluster meetings and many activities related to the cluster.
YDN have many approved project proposals in the health sector. It is now in the process of implementing the eighth health project granted by GIZ. As well as having the privilege of working with the local partners in some projects as working with Tamdeen youth foundation TYF and Relief and development peer foundation RDP.
YDN is present in all United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 3W and 4W health maps, and in conformity with the international standards for NGOs. As it sends health reports periodically for the epidemiological bulletin of Yemen through the health information system (HIS) of the health cluster.
The NGO has a major role in training and qualifying the NGOs included in its membership as providing advisory services, capacity building for members and organizing symposiums and workshops. It is well recognized that YDN attends most meetings, seminars and conferences in health and that it takes the lead in contributing in the humanitarian landscape and in devising appropriate solutions and visions and in addressing the constraints in the humanitarian action in Yemen fulfilling its vision and mission in improving the performance of civil society organizations.
The health sector is one of great significance as it focuses on health care that includes providing diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases, traumas and psychological problems through specialized staffs in various aspects of health care, including medical and nursing services and midwifery. It also takes a keen interest in health awareness and in conducting training courses for health workers and community health volunteers.
Accordingly, the activities of the health sector as one of the humanitarian action sectors is identified as any act the leads to providing the mentioned services or supports its continuity, sustainability and progression in a way that delivers to the beneficiaries the primary, secondary and tertiary health care in addition to the emergency health services. The domains of health interventions can be summarized as follow:
- Public health.
- Mental and psychological support.
- Reproductive health services.
- Capacity building of the cadre of health workers.
- Provision of medicine, medical supplies and equipment.
- Rehabilitation of HFs.
- Surveillance and information collection.
- Health awareness and guidance.
Interventions and health activities:
- Provision of primary and secondary health care services and referral services through the implementation of the minimum health service package, and providing operational cost and financial support to ensure the continuity of operation in the selected health facilities in the priority districts in Yemen.
- Prevention and response to outbreaks of infectious diseases including cholera.
- Vaccinating children and pregnant women through routine EPI and carrying out awareness sessions and vaccination campaigns.
- Provide reproductive health services according to the minimum initial service package, including BEmONC (basic emergency of maternal and newborn care) and CEmONC (comprehensive emergency of maternal and newborn care).
- Early diagnosis, proper management, provision of medicines and referral of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and mental disorders.
- Establish and provide trauma care, including life-saving, referral, management and rehabilitation.
- Provision of medicines, medical supplies and equipment to enable the implementation of the minimum health service package.
- Implementing priority capacity-building activities and developing, updating and disseminating guidelines and protocols to adopt and scale up the implementation of the minimum service package.
- Conduct assessments to feed group malfunctioning systems and promote coordination of health interventions and inter-community interventions.
- Reconstruction, rehabilitation and equipping selected health facilities in priority districts to make them work at full capacity.
- Setting up medical camps to alleviate the suffering of medical conditions in the most affected catchment population.
- Providing family planning supplies.
Interacting in Health Cluster Meeting and Sub-district Meetings:
Clusters are groups of humanitarian organizations in each of the main sectors of humanitarian action, e.g. health, nutrition and shelter. They are designated by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and have clear responsibilities for coordination. Every cluster have periodical meetings to coordinate the projects implemented by UN agencies, international NGOs and local NGO in Yemen.
The national health cluster meetings are chaired by the world health organization (WHO) and these meetings take place in the Ministry of public health (MoPH) and many representatives of different organizations attend the meetings under the supervision of the (MoPH). YDN attends all the meetings and participates constantly and also attends the different sectors in health as reproductive health and others.
There are sub-national cluster meetings to coordinate the action in different governorates as Sanaa sub-national cluster meetings (involving Al-amanah, Sanaa, Al-Baidhaa, Dhamar and Mareb), Ibb and Taiz sub-national cluster meeting, Aden sub-national cluster meetings (including Aden, Abyan, Lahj, Al-Dhalee, Hadhtamoot, Al-mahrah, Shabwah and Soqatra), Al-Hodaidah sub-national cluster meetings (involving Hajjah, Al-Mahweet and Raimah) and Saddah sub-national cluster meetings (including Saddah, Amran and Al-Jawf).
The sub-national cluster meetings are of great importance as the coordination of projects are proceeded in it especially when coordinating for projects in remote areas which are difficult to reach and lack communications. YDN have representatives in all meetings who report periodically to the main office.
Summary of Health interventions:
| م | Project | Dono | Year | No. of beneficiaries | Geographic range | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Provision of medication and aid to the medical cadre and hospitals in the war affected areas | Saba Relief | 2015 | 12584 | Mareeb Taiz Hadhramoot | Mareeb Taiz Hadhramoot | ||
| 2 | Provision of medicines and medical supplies | Saba Relief | 2016 | 56020 | Mareeb Al-Jawf | |||
| 3 | Integrated Emergency Nutrition and Health Services | OCHA | 2017 | 29565 | Taiz & Ibb | As silw Alqafr Alsabra | ||
| 4 | Integrated Emergency Nutrition and Health Services | OCHA | 2017-2018 | 39994 | Taiz & Ibb | Jabal habashi As-silw Far alodayn | ||
| 5 | Integrated Emergency Nutrition, Health and food project | OCHA | 2018 | 3835 | Taiz & Ibb | Sharab-Arawna Mothaikhera | ||
| 6 | cholera cases surveillance and community education | Oxfam | 2017 | 11515 | Hajjah | Aflah Al-yemen | ||
| 7 | Community awareness to reduce the outbreak of the third wave of cholera and watery diarrhea | World Assembly for Muslim Youth | 2018 | 8560 | Al-Jawf | Al Maslob Al Ghail | ||
| 8 | Preparedness response project | OCHA | 2018 | - | Taiz & Ibb | Sharab-Arawna Far alodayn | ||
| 9 | Integrated Nutrition, Health and Food Project | OCHA | 2018 | 9340 | Taiz & Ibb | Mudhaikhira Sharab-Arawna | ||
| 10 | Integrated Emergency Nutrition and Health Services for the most vulnerable groups | UNICEF | 2018 | 29201 | Taiz & Ibb | Jabal-Habashi As-silw Far-alodayn | ||