November 2, 2020
News
Thanks to the support from the Czech Development Agency, Caritas Czech Republic has been working on the improvement of Georgia´s primary healthcare (PHC) system for four years now. Seeing the positive development, UNICEF decided to join the partnership and expand the original project with interventions in maternal and child health (MCH).
IT solutions and online trainings
Czech Caritas´ main aim is to strengthen primary healthcare through the introduction of quality management instruments and the development of countrywide, comprehensive IT solutions for primary healthcare. Among the key aims is also the updating of qualification standards and the establishment of career-long learning programs for PHC professionals.
UNICEF decided to expand the above-mentioned interventions with two components aiming at bolstering maternal and child health services. The first one will focus on disease prevention and health promotion – it seeks to mainstream child development aspects into the PHC system by developing an electronic management information system, ensuring rural doctors´ linkage to this system, and by tracking the quality of the MCH services provided in rural settings.
The second joint intervention will ensure the continuity of maternal and child health services during the Covid-19 pandemic through remote PHC support to mothers and babies born during the time of limited in-person contacts. Specifically, Czech Caritas will improve the capacity of PHC providers in the delivery of post-natal and well-baby services through online trainings and supervisions.
In total, all rural primary healthcare facilities in Georgia will be covered by the project.
“The primary healthcare is a foundation of any healthcare system and we will be supporting the Government in strengthening its maternal and child component. We are glad to partner with Caritas Czech Republic as it is not possible to ensure quality health care services for women and children without developing Georgia’s entire primary healthcare system,” said Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Georgia.
Bringing systemic, quality-driven change
To improve the primary healthcare system in Georgia, Caritas Czech Republic has been collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MoIDPLHSA) since 2017. That year saw the launch of the first phase of the project, which resulted in the development and introduction of electronic quality measurement tools at five pilot PHC facilities in Tbilisi.
In 2020, Caritas Czech Republic launched the second phase of the project, which will lead to even larger-scale changes in Georgia´s primary healthcare sector. The partnership with UNICEF will further enrich the interventions of CCR within the PHC sector, as maternal and child health services are an indivisible part of primary healthcare. As a result, family doctors serving rural communities will improve their current knowledge and skills in MCH care.
” With this project, Caritas Czech Republic continues to prove its indispensable role in reforming Georgia´s primary healthcare system. We are assisting the Ministry in creating systemic, long-lasting and quality-driven change from which eventually all citizens of the country will benefit,” said Jan Blinka, Head of the CCR Mission in Georgia.
