Overall, many lifesaving women’s and children’s health (WCH) services for key populations in conflict settings are not delivered everywhere, and priority predefined packages of services are not commonly agreed on or implemented. Donor priorities are the main drivers influencing the ‘what, where, and how’ of implementing interventions. Additionally, working within the political and governance systems in conflict settings is increasingly challenging compared to previous decades, given the dynamic nature of modern conflict and the expanding role of non-state armed groups.
To improve governance, leadership, and coordination, best practices included political analysis on power balance between the various warring parties and the various humanitarian actors and decentralisation of operations by contracting local organisations.
To improve health financing for emergencies, multi-year funding mechanisms and emergency pooled funds were created.
To strengthen the health work force, best practices included ask shifting and task sharing, rotation of senior staff to remote areas, and hiring local staff to nurture trust with local communities.
Electronic stock management and supply information systems were developed to automate the identification of shortage and need for resupply of essential medicines and supplies.
Health service delivery was improved by using mobile clinics in remote areas, recruiting lay workers who have good knowledge of their community, promoting community-based services, and providing integrated packages of services at the point of care.
Insecurity was addressed by training health staff on security measures, utilising remote management, using security intelligence to inform staff movement, and holding contextually driven negotiations with non-state armed groups to gain access to populations and protect populations and health staff.
Social research was used to understand community dynamics and sociocultural factors and to inform the delivery of humanitarian programs.
