Checklist for a Camp Management Agency

• The Camp Management Agency ensures that all health service providers within the camp have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the national health authorities outlining roles and responsibilities for health services implementation, exit strategies and the extent of assistance from already existing health facilities.
• Health services are coordinated between agencies and with national health authorities via information sharing and regular meetings.

Assessments

• A rapid health needs assessment is completed using age and gender disaggregated information within three days of the arrival of the first camp residents. Those conducting the assessment have appropriate training and relevant experience and have no political or affiliations compromising perceptions of their neutrality. The results of this assessment should be used to inform a health response.
• A context-specific, comprehensive assessment is repeated within one to three weeks after the initial health assessment to steer health care strategies. Assessments are periodically repeated thereafter as required.
• Mapping of health service providers in the camp is regularly updated, including what their activities are and where they are working. The health sector usually initiates the 3Ws – Who is doing What and Where.

Vaccinations

• A well-monitored mass measles vaccination campaign is organised together with agencies and national authorities for all children aged from six months to 14 years of age in the camp.
• It is determined whether other mass vaccination campaigns should be initiated, such as against yellow fever and/or bacterial meningitis.
• Routine immunisations (EPIs) are established as part of the overall health care strategy for the camp as soon as emergency health care strategies are in place.

Nutrition

• A nutrition survey of children aged 6-9 months is initiated to quantify the degree of acute malnutrition in the camp population.
• Additional nutrition surveys are implemented at regular intervals to monitor changes in the malnutrition rates.
• All persons in the camp are food secure and their energy and micronutrient requirements are met. If not, general or selective feeding programmes are initiated. The general food ration should provide all camp residents with adequate energy and micronutrients. The supplementary food ration is to provide vulnerable groups and those with specific needs with additional support.
• Health service providers train staff on strategies ensuring appropriate feeding practices of infants and young children, for example exclusive breastfeeding of infants from birth to six months of age.

Structure of Health Care Services

• Health structures within the camp are designed to provide health services for all levels of care.
• All health service providers use a common and agreed referral system to hospital to avoid creating parallel mechanisms.
• All health service providers implement health policies, use clinical definitions and diagnostic protocols and prescribe essential medicines in line with national health authority guidelines or, if not deemed appropriate, with international standards.
• Standards are ensured for recruitment, training and supervision of staff, both local and international, such as guidelines on salary and incentives, and all health service providers abide by them.
• Materials are in place for adequate practice of universal precautions and training of staff of all health agencies in them is supervised.
• The overall supply and logistic systems to health service providers in the camp is supported. If resources are inadequate there is advocacy for assistance via the CCCM/ Health Cluster/Sector Lead Agency.

Health Information Systems (HIS)

• The establishment of effective health information management and coordination systems with all health service providers in the camp is ensured.
• The training of all health agencies in routine reporting forms, identification of epidemic-prone diseases, alert thresholds and protocols for outbreak reporting is supported.

Control of Communicable Diseases and Epidemics

• One health agency is appointed to coordinate disease outbreak response. The outbreak response is planned by identifying a referral laboratory for confirmation of specimens and maintaining and disseminating an epidemic contingency plan with all concerned sectors. The contingency plan should include pre-positioned stocks and mapping of all resources available for outbreaks.
• Standards and clinical protocols for priority communicable diseases (diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections, measles and malaria) are developed and disseminated, expanding to all context-specific diseases during the post-emergency phase.
• Evidence-based and harmonised treatments are advocated for.
• The training of all health agencies is ensured, using agreed guidelines for clinical definitions, diagnoses and treatment of communicable diseases.
• Services are expanded for those living with HIV/AIDS in the post-emergency phase to include support, care and possibly treatment as well as developing a comprehensive information campaign targeted towards prevention of HIV transmission and awareness of HIV services.

Reproductive Health

• An organisation or individual is identified as focal point for the reproductive health response in the camp.
• The minimum package of reproductive care is available to all health service providers, according to phase, and reproductive care services in the camp are supervised.
• Clean delivery kits are available and distributed.
• Professional midwife delivery supplies are available at health centres and a referral system to manage obstetric emergencies is established.
• The consequences of sexual violence are prevented and managed, specifically ensuring that a medical response to survivors of sexual violence is available and the camp population know about it.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)

Activities at any level of intervention include Psychological First Aid (PFA), Do No Harm training for general humanitarian workers, family and community mobilisation, recreation activities, counselling services and facilitation of referrals of mental health conditions to trained specialists.

Health Education

• Health agencies are assisted to assess the health situation and target population to identify the most important problems to address through health education communication strategies.
• The most appropriate channels and tools for communicating are used with the target population.
• Evaluation and supervision activities are planned to monitor and measure the effectiveness of the health education strategy.

Health Issues at Camp Closure

• Basic health services within the camp remain operational until every camp resident has left.
• Planned phase-down of health services, based on health facility utilisation rates coupled with total population remaining in the camp, is ensured.
• Information is coordinated with health service providers in areas of return and exchanged when possible.
• Information campaigns inform the camp population of services available in areas of return and how to access them on arrival.
• Activities for health examinations, referrals for continuity of care and coordinated information campaigns are in place to give proper messages to the camp population regarding rationales for health-related interventions.