Essentials of Medical Coordination in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

Essentials of Public Health and Medical Coordination in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies provides a practical overview for health coordinators in assessing, coordinating, and implementing medical and public health responses in disaster and conflict environments. The book aims to achieve this in two parts. Part one covers foundational information such as the role of the coordinator; project assessment and start-up; standards, protocols, and guidelines; project strategy and accountability; and basic epidemiological measurements and tools. Part two goes on to discuss the implementation of programs and services like nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), management of chronic disease, community health promotion, sexual and reproductive health, health information systems and disease surveillance. A health coordinator in the field is required to quickly assess the needs of a population in a humanitarian emergency, initiate start-up procedures, and coordinate the response over a period of months or longer. The efficiency and effectiveness of this process depends on the experience, knowledge, and skills of the coordinator, Essentials of Public Health and Medical Coordination in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies is a resource for those in the medical, public health, and international humanitarian aid sectors who care about the health of populations at risk and is written by an author who has coordinated emergency response in conflict environments in Kosovo, Central Asia (Tajikistan), Afghanistan, Darfur, Gaza and the OPT, Somaliland, Syria, and Iraq.