COVID-19 HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROJECT

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COVID-19 has been spreading across the world since December 2019, with Kenya reporting its first confirmed case on March 13, 2019. Since then the number of confirmed cases have increased to 37,489 cases as at 24th September, 2020. COVID-19 poses significant impact on lives, economic losses and food and nutrition, particularly in low-and-middle income countries like Kenya.The Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response project is the Phase 1 of the Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach for Strategic Preparedness and Response Program which aims to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness.The proposed AF aligns with the original objectives, design and components of the C-HERP. There are no anticipated changes in the implementation arrangements. The proposed AF will support additional activities within all components under parent project and new component 8 on GBV as follows:Component 1: Medical Supplies and Equipment: This component aims to improve the availability of supplies and equipment needed to respond to COVID-19 and other public health emergencies. This shall cover testing equipment and supplies, case management equipment and supplies including oxygen and personal protective Equipment.Component 2: Response, Capacity Building and Training: This component aims to strengthen response and build capacity of key stakeholders including health professionals, and community health workers.Component 3: Quarantine, Isolation and Treatment Centers. This component is strengthening IPC and Covid-19 case management. The Third Extraordinary Session of the National and County Governments Coordinating Summit on the Coronavirus Pandemic held on June 10, 2020 resolved that each county must establish isolation centers with a minimum capacity of 300 persons to meet modelling predictions. This component will support treatment, quarantine and isolation centres in selected counties with the highest cases. Support will include operational costs and supplies for case management.Component 4: Medical Waste Disposal: The AF will support: (i) procurement, installation of waste management equipment and construction of waste management infrastructure for an additional 10 COVID-19 treatment facilities, where these are not available; (ii) medical waste management consumables; (iii) capacity building of health workers on waste management; (iv) environmental impact assessments and audits.Component 5. Community Discussions and Information Outreach : This component will enhance support towards: (i) community engagement for vulnerable and marginalized; (ii) training of community and opinion leaders; (iii) periodic knowledge, attitude and practice surveys.Component 6: Availability of Safe Blood and Blood Products : This support will go towards strengthening the capacity of the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) to provide safe blood and blood products. The additional financing will go towards: (i) expanding the coverage of the blood information and communications technology to all level Level 6 and 5 public hospitals), and selected high volume Level 4 hospitals; (ii) enhancing screening for transfusion transmissible infections through procurement of reagents for TTI screening and pathogen inactivation; (iii) contracting health workers, particularly laboratory technologies to support the operations of the blood laboratories; (iv) operational costs of the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS).Component 7: Project Implementation and Monitoring : This support will finance activities for program implementation and monitoring by providing additional resources, to strengthen coordination and management capacity of the project. The AF will support expansion of the scope of routine monitoring and evaluation activities for the project that will inform the response to the evolving pandemic.Component 8: Improving Quality and Capacity for Gender Based Violence]: This component aims to improve the capacity and quality of GBV response services for survivors in targeted counties, with particular focus on health systems strengthening. While GBV is an issue requiring comprehensive, multi-sectoral interventions in order to respond to the full range needs of survivors, the health sector presents an immediate and critical entry point for engaging in GBV mitigation and first line response through the provision of medical and psychosocial care, and through referral to additional services beyond health. The health sector is often a key starting point for referral processes as it is often the first and only place women are willing to disclose experiences of violence in order to receive care and access to other needed services, including access to justice and police support, protection/shelter options and economic support. Support under this component will include but not be limited to: a) Assessment and strengthening of health sector systems for GBV response through the application of a standardized quality assurance tool and associated plans to address identified priority gaps in servic e delivery.b) Capacity strengthening of health care providers to identify the risks and health consequences of GBV and to offer first line support and medical treatment. This may include integration of essential training modules on identifying, treating and referring GBV survivors for medical professionals into existing COVID-19 or other healthcare trainings. Trainings may relate to GBV case screening, medical case management, including the collection of forensic evidence, as well as updating and disseminating relevant protocols and guidance notes for health practitioners developed specifically for the health system. Activities may further include development and/or strengthening of model GBV centers to be piloted in select referral hospitals at the county level.c) Strengthening data collection and analysis to monitor service delivery, understand emerging trends, build the capacity of health sector staff and build capacity for collection of essential forensic, medical-legal evidence should survivors want to seek justice. This activity will explore the use of technology-based solutions to enable safe and efficient data collection and use.d) Enhancing safety of female frontline health workers. Front-line providers responding to COVID-19 risk experiencing stigmatization, isolation, and being socially ostracized. These health workers, the majority of whom are women, may be at risk for violence in their homes or in the workplace.Increasing the security of people in isolation/quarantine centers and health facilities through sensitizing the service providers and users on GBV and providing information on available services