Experience Sharing on Continuity of Healthcare Services in Internally Displaced Peoples: The Case of Tigray War Crisis

The war and siege in Tigray led millions to displace internally. More than three-fourths of the health facilities were either destroyed or not functional as the equipment and other resources were stolen. Furthermore, the remaining functioning health facilities were flooded beyond their capacity, resulting in many patients received treatment late, and ending with complications including life loss. Mekelle City is one of the largest towns with many internally displaced people from different areas of Tigray. To provide services for the most vulnerable populations, 11 IDP clinics were opened for internally displaced people and the surrounding host community in Mekelle. A total of 6732 patients received clinical services, of which 3465 were males. The age of the patients was in ranged of 24 days to 95 years. A total of 364 patients were emergency cases and 428 outbreaks were seen. A total of 722 patients with chronic illnesses received follow-up services, the most common being hypertension (112), diabetes (79), and asthma (70). Overall, 1198 investigations were done and 1339 were referred to higher-level healthcare facilities. Upper respiratory infection (n = 976), acute gastroenteritis (n = 667), and pneumonia (n = 612) were the most common disease conditions in IDP clinics. Antibiotics were the most commonly prescribed medication for 2468 patients, followed by anti-pain/pyretic (1402). This community engagement showed us that, it is possible to continue healthcare services when health facilities get collapsed during crisis owing to the relocation and mobilization of available resources. Keywords: health care, emergency, crisis, war, internally displaced peoples