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Syria

QRCS, QFFD enhance health information system in northern Syria [EN/AR]

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November 23rd, 2020 ― Doha: With funding from Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is implementing a program to enhance health information collection, analysis, and management systems in northern Syria.

Under the QUEST Health 2020 initiative, the program is aimed at supporting and empowering the health information system of the health directorates and humanitarian organizations operating in the northern parts of the country. The two-year program is part of a life-saving medical support project for Syrian women and children. Another program of the project involves capacity-building for physicians and health care workers.

Its activities include providing technical support to develop the central health information system in northern Syria. All the organizations that support health centers are invited to take part in the entry processes using a unified system, in coordination with the Health Cluster supervised by World Health Organization (WHO) in Turkey, in line with its approved indicators.

QRCS offers technological support through training workshops and courses for the personnel of health directorates. It also conducts regular maintenance of servers and databases, identifies and resolves issues, and make improvements to ensure optimized use of the resources of the system.

The system issues regular reports on the health conditions in northern Syria, including accurate figures and statistics. This helps to find out the basic needs of the health system and monitoring and evaluation processes, which are then shared with all partners and concerned parties, with a view to improving medical services and having real indicators to allocate support based on the existing needs.

Launched in April 2020, the project is set to last until May 2022, with the conclusion of personnel training and qualification, completion of infrastructure, and equipment of the unified health system. It is directly beneficial for the health information system teams working at health directorates, data entry, medical staff at health facilities, and the organizations supervising them. By extension, the project will reach out to the region’s 4-million population.

The northern parts of Syria host over 4 million locals and displaced people. There are many health centers and hospitals, but they are controlled by different managements or organizations. They lack a unified information system that contains and organizes all entries in a meaningful way. In response, the health directorates in northern Syria, with support from WHO, started to create a unified health system, in order to improve the health conditions in the region.

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About Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS)

Established in 1978, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is a humanitarian volunteering organization that aims to assist and empower vulnerable individuals and communities without partiality or discrimination. QRCS is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which consists of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 191 National Societies. QRCS is also a member of several GCC, Arab, and Islamic organizations, such as the Islamic Committee of International Crescent and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO). In this legally recognized capacity, QRCS has access to disaster and conflict zones, thus serving as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian efforts — a role that distinguishes it from other local charities and NGOs.

QRCS operates both locally and internationally and has ongoing international relief and development projects in a number of countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. QRCS's humanitarian actions include providing support in disaster preparedness, disaster response, risk reduction, and disaster recovery. To mitigate the impact of disasters and improve the livelihoods of affected populations, QRCS provides medical services, healthcare, and social development to local communities. It is also active at the humanitarian advocacy front. With the help of a vast network of trained, committed staff and volunteers, QRCS aspires to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. QRCS works under the umbrella of the seven international humanitarian principles: Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.