Improving access to primary health care for refugee women and children using Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework during pandemic: a mixed method study in three countries
 
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1
Center for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health (CRIMEDIM), Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale Amedeo Avogadro, Novara, Italy
 
2
Department of Translational Medicine (DIMET), Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale Amedeo Avogadro, Italy
 
3
Center for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health (CRIMEDIM), Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro", Italy
 
 
Publication date: 2023-04-27
 
 
Popul. Med. 2023;5(Supplement):A1673
 
ABSTRACT
Background: Over 930 million people are living on the edge of poverty due to suspected out-of-pocket health expenses, leaving universal health coverage (UHC) behind. The agenda is even far from being accomplishment in humanitarian crises due to the lack of access to primary health care (PHC). Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic put additional strain on health systems due to access to PHC. Globally, PHC faced disruption due to lockdown during pandemic, poor planning, shift to tertiary care, and silos in coordination. In these vulnerable communities facing humanitarian crises, community is facing poor accessibility to maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) services, Resultsing in high morbidity and mortality. To ensure continuity of PHC, the World Health Organization has devised a framework called Health Emergency Disaster Risk Management (health-EDRM). Countries hosting refugees and displaced populations, the response to emergencies in well planned, coordinated, and integrated. Data is missing for vulnerable communities in crisis, and they are not the priority in the planning, preparedness, and implementation of PHC during emergencies. Study Aims to: (i) assess community barriers to accessing MNCH-related PHC services, (ii) identify barriers to implementing the h-EDRM policy framework, (iii) map partner’s activities in targeted countries participating in emergency response.  Methods: A mixed-methodsstudy will be conducted in Pakistan and Italy on refugee population from Afghanistan and middle-east, as well as in Ethiopia, where population is internally displaced due to the crisis in Tigray region. Cross-sectional survey will be conducted to assess MNCH-related PHC accessibility challenges at the community-level by conducting a cross-sectional survey. Humanitarian organizations and other stakeholders will be interviewed to understand the barriers to implementing health-EDRM. Activities of stakeholders will be mapped to understand how health-EDRM is being implemented. Outcomes: Workshops and consultations will be held with stakeholders to develop strategies, tools, and integrating health-EDRM into country-level emergency planning. 
ISSN:2654-1459
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