Our Work

Health Services Support

Improving Local Health Services

Efficient, well-organised and well-supported health services can be lifesaving and life-changing. The more than 3 million children under 5 and more than 300,000 pregnant women who die each year globally from preventable deaths could be saved by access to well-equipped and well-trained healthcare professionals.

International Medical Corps and its affiliates help local health authorities provide primary and secondary healthcare services, including referral services from rural community-level clinics to large regional and national-level hospitals. We work hand-in-hand with national governments as well as local community leaders to ensure that basic healthcare is available and affordable for all—whether they are residents of remote villages or large urban centres, whether they are internally displaced people, asylum seekers, migrants or refugees.

Training and education are central to our support of health services. We train and mentor health service providers, managers and community representatives to strengthen their capacity to deliver, manage and monitor their local health services.

We also help rehabilitate health facilities and supply them with essential drugs and medical supplies. Where necessary, we recruit trained medical professionals to fill gaps in the health service system. International Medical Corps works with local health authorities to advocate for the benefits of improving health services.

About 44% of WHO member states have less than 1 doctor per 1,000 people. In sub-Saharan Africa, the figure is 0.2 physician per 1,000 people
Globally, there are 3.3 nurses and midwives per 1,000 people. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is less than half that number: 1.2
We have implemented health services support programs in more than 50 countries on five continents

Areas of Focus

Overview

A strong health system delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them. The exact structure and function of health systems vary from country to country, but in all cases these systems require well-maintained facilities, adequate medical supplies and efficient logistics to deliver quality healthcare; a well-trained, adequately compensated workforce; reliable information on which to base decisions and policies; and robust financing mechanisms.

Key Stats

Globally, two-thirds (38 million) of 56 million annual deaths are not even registered
Almost half of the world’s children go unregistered at birth
Many barriers prevent people from registering births and deaths

Overview

Health resilience is the ability of a community to use its assets to strengthen public health and healthcare systems, and to improve its physical, behavioural and social health systems to withstand, adapt to and recover from adversity.

Key Stats

About 400,000 deaths occur each year due to the impact of climate change
The direct impact of natural disasters and climate change are 14 times more likely to cause suffering among women and children than men
Resilient health systems are made up of resilient individuals and organisations that are able to solve problems and make informed decisions, both during a crisis and during more stable times

Overview

Reliable data on the health status of individuals and communities, as well as on how well service is delivered, are essential for planning, operating, monitoring and evaluating health programs in every country. Accurate data are needed on individual health, health facility performance, population health and community health surveillance.

Key Stats

A robust health information system is vital for improving the health outcomes of the communities it serves
An open-source software platform known as DHIS 2 is being used in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America for health data analysis, reporting and dissemination
Strong health information systems can contribute to greater transparency and accountability by increasing access to data