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HEALTH SECTOR COORDINATION MEETING WHO Humanitarian Assistance Office Skopje Dr. Rebac, WHO HAO opened the
meeting giving brief overview on the current situation and brief description
of the past week activities. ICRC representative informed participants that INTERSOS is involved in rehabilitation of the state ambulanta in Radusha. ICRC suggested that a private house (the owner is in Germany for a long period) could be used as an ambulanta. ICRC will contact INTERSOS and inform all parties about planned activities. ICRC had a meeting with the representative of the Cabinet of the President, Mrs. Flora Ljatifi, concerning priorities in the health sector. Dr Rebac informed that he also received a call from Mrs. Ljatifi, but the main concern of the Cabinet is medical services for Skopska Crna Gora region. According to the information that WHO has, in those villages there were no ambulantas even prior to the conflict. Establishing services in this area will mean starting the work from the very beginning. This is a problem of the State and is a subject of further discussion. According to American Red Cross information, as they have contacts with people from that area, there are few people living there at the moment. WHO HAO will schedule a meeting with IRC and UNICEF about establishment of medical services in villages Grusino and Mojanci in Skopje region. UNICEF has ongoing regular activities. They are still waiting for the second shipment of drugs to arrive in FYRoM. American Red Cross continues with health education activities for IDPs in collective centers and host families. ICRC has decreased their activities and will continue as a liaison between different organisations as needed and requested. Dr Rebac asked whether ICRC have any eventual supplies that can be mobilised if needed? ICRC representative informed that they have on stock materials for treatment of weapon injuries that can be mobilised upon request. World Vision representative asked for information where people from village Nikustak are using medical services. She attended the Shelter group meeting and got the information that lots of agencies are doing rehabilitation of ambulantas or are planning to do that. She asked whether WHO is coordinating those activities or not? Dr Rebac replied that WHO HAO is trying to coordinate activities as much as possible. The ultimate goal is to provide medical services. Our discussion with the Ministry of Health will be mainly to provide temporary solution, mobile teams provided by the International organisations, but linked with existing health facilities and under supervision of health authorities in respected regions. The long-term solution will require restructuring and relocation of the staff. That will be a long process and is subject of further discussion. Concerning Nikustak, according to the assessment made by IRC last week, the state ambulanta is not in use. There is no information if there is a private ambulanta in this village. There are private ambulantas in the nearest villages, and most probably people are using them. The main problem in Kumanovo is always medical staff. OCHA representative has visited three collective centers in Kumanovo today. There is still no heating in these centers, and people also do not have winter clothing. Several IDPs complained that they could not find medications they need or have to pay participation, were asked to have special letter from the Director of the Medical center etc, despite the fact that they have registration ID numbers given by Macedonian Red Cross. Dr Rebac informed that WHO had several discussions with the Deputy Director of the Medical Center and he has always repeated that the host families and other people are trying to abuse those services. It is impossible to go in Kumanovo every day and monitor what is going on. WHO can again discuss this problem with health authorities. IOM has regular ongoing activities. Due to security reasons, they have postponed the activities planned for the TB dispensaries in Tetovo. Most probably they will have a meeting with the TB Dispensary on Friday and activities planned will start at the beginning of December. IFRC/MRC has regular programs. They have started new
registration of IDPs. The problem is that some of the villages that are
now considered as safe are not more on the list, but people are coming
every day, including people from some parts of the Tetovo town. IFRC/MRC
opened new warehouse in Petrovec. OCHA representative is preparing a kind of information system for humanitarian assistance. He asked all agencies to prepare requests of what they would need for their everyday work. OCHA can provide to them compiled information and maps. Dr Rebac informed him that WHO has already incorporated P-codes for the places in the conflict-affected regions in the Rapid health assessment document. Also in July, WHO has prepared Emergency response capacity questionnaire that was delivered to all agencies and has produced a document that consists of compiled information. WHO can also share with them the assessment documents for Lipkovo municipality and two villages in Skopje region prepared last week by IRC. Next meeting is scheduled for November 28, 2001
16:00 p.m. at WHO HAO premises.
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