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Health And HIV/AIDS Unit
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Health Service Delivery Health Service Delivery Health service delivery Introduction The health service delivery and HIV/AIDS prevention control of ECC is concerned with accomplishing preventive and curative health services and prevention, treatment, care and support of HIV AIDS in the country. Health care service have been in the Church’s main development program since early existence of the Church and HIV/AIDS programs have been running since the outbreak of the disease in the country. Health coordination The second phase (2007-2011) strategic plan focuses on strengthening the central coordination of health care services of the Church and building the implementation capacity of diocesan health coordination offices and health facilities. Some of the major priority strategic objectives in the plan are - Building the capacity of ECS health department through hiring adequate professionals - Developing ECC health policy and strategy and distributing to all DCS, health institutions and other appropriate stakeholders - To lobby on the need to assign a focal person for health program in each DCS - Strengthening the capacity of ECC health institutions in order to help them effectively and efficiently implement their mandates - To build the capacity of ECS, DCSs and health institutions staff on concepts and application of networking - To facilitate, coordinate , represent and advocate for ECC health programs - To integrate selected health components to the existing programs of the social and development programs of ECC - To improve health information management system in ECC health program Accordingly the following activities have been accomplished since the launching of the strategic plan. a. Building the capacity of ECS health Unit Strengthening the capacity of ECS health unit was identified to be key factor in achieving strong central coordination of ECC health care services. To achieve this, health and HIV/AIDS unit coordinator was hired at the beginning of 2008. The unit head received capacity building training and experience sharing session at Catholic Medical Bureaus of Uganda. Financial and technical support in strengthening the Unit was obtained from a partner organization Doctors with Africa Cuamm, who also extended one of its staffs as a part time advisor to the unit. In order to further strengthen the coordination capacity of the unit, a three years health project was designed that has several capacity building activities as a component. b. Development and implementation of ECC health policy ECC health policy has been developed through a thorough process that involved active consultation and participation of all diocesan offices, health institutions, partner organizations and Church leadership bodies. The health policy was approved by the Ethiopian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and is currently in its final stage, ready for distribution. Some of the components of the health policy have already begun to be implemented. One example is the self monitoring quality assurance technique through accreditation of health facilities. Working committee has been established to work on development of accreditation criteria and introduction of the system. Currently, the committee is finalizing its draft criteria to be presented to the Ethiopian Catholic Bishops’ conference for their approval and finally to be introduced to the DCS and health facilities on the general health assembly. c. Coordination and organization of health care services - In order to achieve coordination and organization of the health care services 30 health institutions were visited since 2008. - Annual general health assemblies and biannual health coordinators’ meeting are undertaken in which more than seventy participants representing 8 diocesan health coordination offices, health institutions and partner organizations. d. Facilitation, representation and advocacy for ECC health institutions - The unit represented ECC health institutions on various forums at national level - Advocacy agenda on upgrading/downgrading of the catholic Church health Institutions was taken to the Federal Ministry of health with very positive outcome for ECC health institutions. e. Strengthening the capacity of ECC health institutions - A project, supported by Cordaid, is being underway to support the capacity of EmCS f. Health management information system - Health and HIV/AIDS database is being established in order to improve the information flow system in the church. Data from 123 institutions was collected and is being processed to be entered in to the system. g. Initiation of new projects - New project that works on treatment, care and support of HIV/AIDS was initiated in partnership with CRS. The project will be implemented in St. Luke Catholic hospital and other 10 government health centers in southwest Shoa zone of Oromia region. h. Networking and partnership - The unit currently works in partnership with several national and international organizations International partner organizations - ECS is now a member organization with Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Networks (EPN) that works on facilitation of pharmaceutical supplies for church owned health facilities. National partner organizations - The Health unit works in collaboration with CRDA, and health coordination offices of faith based institutions such as Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Kalehiwot church and Adventist Church. . Future strategies - Formulate guidelines for health professional and support staff of the Catholic Health institutions and human resources information management system as part of the implementation strategy of the health policy. - Finalize the accreditation criteria and introducing the system - Work on the realization of medical store establishment - Continue coordination of health services to reach a uniform standard health care delivery in the country Address:
Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control
HIV/AIDS prevention and Control Introduction HIV/AIDS epidemic has become a serious health and development challenge in Ethiopia. According to estimates made in the year 2007 a total of 977, 394 people live with HIV and AIDS, of which 578,016 (59%) are female and 399,376 (41%) are male. In 2007 AIDS accounted for 34% of national young adult deaths aged 15 – 49. In order to contribute to the national goal of curbing the spread of HIV and mitigating it impacts the Ethiopian Catholic Church has been working on prevention, care and support for People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infections and other sexually transmitted illnesses since the onset of the epidemic in Ethiopia. Major Achievements so far The ECC HIV/AIDS prevention and control policy and strategic framework put the following priority options to combat the impacts of HIV/AIDS. - Behavioral Change Interventions (BCI) – promote abstinence or faithfulness to one partner through regular education about the disease - Voluntary Counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS - Blood Safety and Universal Precaution – ensuring a continuous supply of equipments and reagents for blood screening for transfusion purposes - Prevention and Management of STIs other than HIV/AIDS – the presence of STIs increases the likelihood of acquiring and transmitting HIV/AIDS for this reason the ECC promotes health care seeking behaviors for individuals during attacks of STIs - Care and support to PLWHA and their families – providing mechanisms for alleviating the impacts of AIDS in the family and improving its traditional coping mechanisms - Mitigating Institutions Impacts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic – formulate mechanisms to alleviate the impacts of AIDS on institutions - Mainstreaming HIV and AIDS in development and emergency response – mainstreaming acknowledges the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic and determines how each sector should respond - Institutional capacity building – e.g. build skills in designing and setting up HIV/AIDS programs and building capacity to establish and maintain monitoring and evaluation system - Operational researches – ECC participates in different researches regarding HIV/AIDS such HIV/AIDS surveillances, researches on impacts of AIDS on children and women, etc. - Advocacy and influencing – since AIDS is also related to stigma and discrimination the church works at all levels to overcome this injustice Highlights of the major achievements following the 2001-2005 strategic plan - Several trainings on HIV/AIDS mainstreaming were provided for diocesan and ECS technical staff - A national guideline – ECC HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Guideline was developed - An HIV/AIDS curriculum for major seminaries and formation houses was developed - A comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention project known as the Healthy Choices Project that focuses on abstinence and faithfulness was implemented in five dioceses. The project works with a range of faith and community based partners that share the Catholic Church’s commitment to equip youth and adults with the values, attitude, skills that supports them to abstain from sex prior to marriage and adopt secondary abstinence and remain faithful in marriage. Following the second phase (2007-1011) strategic plan the following achievements have been recorded - The Healthy Choices Project is running strongly in five dioceses. So far 7,188 Religious Leaders/pastoral agents and 207,153 youth have been given life skills that enable them to respond to the disease in the right manner and thus protect themselves. - A strategy that ensures HIV/AIDS mainstreaming at the grassroots level has been put in place - A work place policy is being developed - A central Health and HIV/AIDS data base is under establishment. - 23,518 OVC are receiving monthly food, shelter, clothing and educational supplies in seven dioceses Future Strategies and foreseen plan - The relationship between ECS and diocesan Health and HIV/AIDS programs will be further strengthened - More emphasis will be given to mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in the developmental and pastoral work of the Church - Implement the HIV/AIDS curriculum developed for the major seminaries and formation houses Address:
Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat
This page was last updated on 10/10/2009 |
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©2005 Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat |