The Hold My hand I/USAID (HMH project) (2018-2021) aimed to build a sustainable and scalable model on rehabilitation services provision for persons with severe disabilities in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam province.
In general, the project successfully achieved its goal and specific objectives on time regardless of unexpected constraints, such as the emergence of the COVID-19. More importantly, the project made significant contributions to the building blocks of the health system for rehabilitation, especially the home-based care delivery and building a health workforce for occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy (ST). Specifically, the project successfully provided care and rehabilitation services to nearly 3500 persons with disabilities, which by far exceeded the target, provided home-based care to 630 persons with severe disabilities, provided independent living aids to nearly 100 persons and more people will be receiving them after the lockdown. The project trained more than one thousand caregivers and home-based care coordinators; these trainees found that guiding materials and videos, knowledge, and skills they learned from the HMH are beneficial to not only persons with severe disabilities but also themselves as caregivers and residents who need that once in a while. Thanks to the long-term training, equipment provision and technical support from the HMH, thirteen hospitals and health centres in Binh Dinh have capacity to start providing proper OT, ST, and interdisciplinary rehabilitation services. The project has a strong management structure and great partnership among key stakeholders, including the Institute of Population, Health and Development (PHAD), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Provincial Health Departments of Binh Dinh & Quang Nam, hospitals and health centres, private health centres, commune health centres and other local partners, and the USAID. Strong collaboration and coordination with other initiatives and implementing partners in both provinces, especially the USAID-funded ones, strengthened the effectiveness of the HMH.
The project interventions are sustainable, but time constraints imply the need of further support to build up enough momentum to really sustain them in the long run. The HMH also has great potential to scale-up. It is strongly recommended that the HMH will continue its great works while strengthening linkages to larger enabling socio-economic environments or moving forward from rehabilitation for functional improvement to social participation and inclusion. Other key recommendations include supporting OT and ST activities and professions, scale up to cover not only persons with severe disabilities but also persons with functional difficulties, develop guidelines and mobility resources to provide assistive technologies locally and safely, promote service delivery of private sector, and continue to promote universal health coverage for rehabilitations.
For rurther information, please visit: Hold My Hand Project _ Flashback