About International Medical Corps
First there, no matter where - International Medical Corps (IMC) provides emergency relief following conflict, disaster and disease.
To facilitate a swift response and to strengthen the local capacity to respond to emergencies, 90% of IMC staff is local and emergency supplies are pre-positioned strategically across the globe. IMC’s involvement continues throughout the disaster cycle and beyond, by training the affected population to become effective first responders. IMC staff work with the affected population to identify their own health priorities during a humanitarian crisis and then trainings and basic health services are provided as needed.
International Medical Corps in action
Improving maternal and child health outcomes in South Sudan
International Medical Corps has been operating in South Sudan for nearly 30 years, providing emergency health, nutrition, mental health, and protection services. Coordinating with the Government of South Sudan to strengthen local healthcare capacity in 5 states allows IMC to deliver direct services to nearly half a million South Sudanese. IMC is working to address several ongoing crises in South Sudan, including the Covid-19 pandemic, while continuing contributions to global objectives to achieve universal health coverage by 2030, as committed to with the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG3) to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
IMC
Mother and child in IMC's nutrition program in Malakal, South Sudan
Mother and child in IMC's nutrition program in Malakal, South Sudan
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Credits
To address this health coverage gap, IMC has graduated 382 midwives and 144 nurses, accounting for a significant increase in the number of trained midwives in the country. IMC built the Kajo-Keji Health Sciences Institute under the Ministry of Health and returned two other midwifery and nursing colleges to operational status in the Jubek and Wau states. To support the professionally trained midwives, IMC also leverages their community health workers to increase the number of referrals to health centres for maternal and neonatal care.
Health Cluster engagement
Chad
Co-Coordinator (2018-Present)
Iraq
Co-Coordinator (2003-2019)
Global Health Cluster Engagement
Core Group and Strategic Advisory Group Member (2005-2017)
Member (2005 - present)
At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the IMC country director joined the South Sudan Health Cluster’s NGO Steering Committee to coordinate and align the non-governmental response, prioritizing case management for COVID-19. IMC was the first Health Cluster partner to establish a fully operational isolation facility. Since the Ministry of Health launched the common personal protective equipment (PPE) request system, IMC has procured and distributed more than 50,000 PPE items in a coordinated response with the Logistics Cluster and 22 other partner organizations, which enabled 60% of the in-country stock to be dispatched where most needed by early May. The Ministry of Health, the South Sudan Doctors Union, and IMC collaborated on 30 Training of Trainers sessions on case management and has directly trained healthcare workers on COVID-19 treatment and prevention measures in Juba, Malakal and Wau.
IMC continues to provide relief for COVID-19 alongside maintenance of essential health services during humanitarian crises as a key partner in the health clusters of the following countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DRC, Ethiopia, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, and Yemen. IMC has been an active supporter of shared leadership and has been co-coordinator of Chad’s Health Cluster, helping to monitor the quality of health services and avoid duplication of services. IMC was also a co-coordinator in Iraq since its inception in 2003 until 2019, co-leading the mental health and psychological support service (MHPSS) sub-cluster. A coordinated response among all health cluster partners is essential to delivering quality services and programmes to meet the needs of the populations affected by COVID-19 and the other humanitarian emergencies.
Related
The achievements of IMC-trained midwives were recently highlighted by a short film produced and narrated by Sienna Miller called “War and Grace.” It was selected in the WHO's first inaugural Health for All film festival as the Grand Prix winner for the Nurses and Midwives category in celebration of 2020, the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.