30thAugust,2022
- HIGHLIGHTS
In August 2022, HIDIG management team paid a visit to its Siigalow, Kurtumaley static health center and Haskule, Qoydo and Harcadey mobile IERT sites which has been responding to health consequences of drought-affected populations in Beletweyne districts. The response includes deployment of mobile health teams, expansion of diseases surveillance, deployment of rapid response teams, training and support to management of complicated cases of severe acute malnutrition.
The team observed that there were still notable needs among the vulnerable displaced and drought affected population seeking services within the HIDIG static and mobile sites in Beletweyne district and at the time of the observation visit in the health and nutrition program sites the following were noted
- The facility and mobile sites were efficient with medical and therapeutic supplies of both health and nutrition and were shortage at the times despites the huge number of people seeking medical and nutrition services
- Notable gap on WASH component were evidence during the visit with limited funding from other sources despites the needs special observation was the Siigalow health facilities had only two latrines one serving women and one for male patient hence the ratio in terms of the needs were incomparable thus required expansion of health Wash facilities within the health center
- Suspected cholera transmission were reported in the fixed facility in Siigalow, however, the health facility in charge was on high alert to report to local health authority from Ministry of health in case such suspicion was noted
- From the health records it was notable that the diseases causing the highest morbidity were acute respiratory infections (2,345 cases) and acute diarrhoea (287 cases) this coupled with high number of moderately and severely malnourished children
- Mental health and psychosocial services were integrated in the provision of health nutrition services, however, in August,2022 new trauma cases were recorded and referred to Beletweyne district hospital with women and children under five years having the highest percentage of the referral cases
- Health outpatient consultation was effective and health seeking behaviour of the communities in the target sites were positively responding to the treatment provided
- Effective health facilities and mobile IERT team surveillance data from the Early Warning Alert and Response Network (EWARN) for August 2022 were recorded in the health facilities.
- Overall situation
Somalia is experiencing prolonged negative effects from the low Gu rains (April–June 2021) which followed below average Deyr rains (October–December) in 2022. This has also compounded the poor recovery from the drought experienced in 2016/2017. The poor rains have led to the displacement of 1,676 people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in Beletweyne district. In some parts of the district, heavy fight against the militia group and the community members as well as the Somalia military forces are fighting over that further aggravated the negative consequences to health and nutrition of the pastoral populations in the areas. These conditions have resulted in displacement hence leading to an increased number of new cases of waterborne diseases in the drought-affected districts.