Reorienting and rebuilding the health system in war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia

Azeb Gebresilassie Tesema, Yohannes Kinfu

Summary box

• Conflict and war have direct and indirect effects on health and health systems.

• The war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has already caused a considerable number of casualties, massive internal displacement and over 70 000 refugees in neighbouring Sudan. It also led to the collapse of the health system.

• The task of restoring and rebuilding Tigray’s health system requires maintaining a balance between providing urgent humanitarian assistance and building a resilient health system.

• It requires reorienting service delivery according to location and security level; redefining the essential health service package to meet new needs; building capacity for emergency response; reskilling and empowering the health workforce and coordinating actors and resources to create a sustainable and resilient health system.