Hamdan Health Unit (HHU) is located in Milhan district, Al-Mahweet governorate. Hamdan is a rural area characterized by mountainous terrain and bumpy roads that make the reach to the health unite very difficult.
The populations in Hamdan sub-district is distributed in villages around HHU. According to General Health Office (GHO) statistical data, the total population of HHU catchment area scored 8520 individuals dispersed in the geographical levels around HHU.
The total number of beneficiaries in the first level is 1707, disaggregated as 341 women, 77 children under 15 years and 319 children under 5 years. In the second level the total number of the beneficiaries is 2541 including 475 children under 5 years. In the third level the total of the beneficiaries is 714 of the children are under 15 years and 249 of the children are under 5 years.
First field visit to the HHU
After gate note nomination from governorate health office and Cluster approval of targeted health units, YDN team conducted a field visit to HHU for needs assessment of the health facilities. The bumpy road was the first obstacle to encounter the team. Difficult and bumpy road to HHU made the team unable to complete this visit by vehicle, so we completed the distance on foot until reaching to HHU.
When we reached to the site of the Hamdan health unit, we noticed that the building of the health unit did not confirm to the standards and specifications of GHO. The building consisted of only two tents. The records and medical supplies were present but without warehouse. The two tents were provided by ORC during Cholera epidemic while the so-called building of the health unit had been ceased in the middle of its construction before 15 years.
The actual needs of the population to the services
Here the population suffered from the absence of most of the services where anything was hard to reach due to difficult road and high cost of transportation. The humanitarian needs of population to public healthcare services made the intervention a challenge for YDN.
So YDN team conducted meeting with local community and health workers and encouraged them for allocating a safe place for storing the medicines, records, other supplies and furniture as well as preparing a safe site for patient’s examination and treatment. They responded quickly for this basic work for intervention and health services delivery by community cooperation.
YDN intervention and services delivery
After establishment of the HHU, YDN started implementing the intervention and delivery of medical supplies. After that, the YDN selected health workers for work in HHU to provide public healthcare services, and assisted them with monthly incentives in return for providing the health services to the local populations. Further, YDN conducted foundational training courses for the health workers, selected and trained the community health volunteers, established the WASH system in HHU, and supplied it with records, reports, medicines and basic medical furniture.
A change in the situation after YDN’s intervention
Now the Hamdan HU is capable of providing and delivering health services. The health workers were trained in delivering the health services to the patients. The community health volunteers (CHV) also were trained and started their works in the villages. They conducted mass screening to find the children under 5 years and pregnant lactating women who are suffering from malnutrition and referred the cases to HHU. Not only that, but the CHVs conducted health and nutrition sessions for their local communities.
The health unit is now working appropriately and the beneficiaries are visiting it every day to avail its health services. The beneficiary patients expressed that it the first time to receive free health services in their lives.
The total number of primary health care services including patients’ consultations and integrated management of childhood illness over the past four months was about 1123 cases wherever the total number of beneficiaries from the reproductive health services in the same period was about 140 cases.
