Review of Mongolian Red Cross Society COVID-19 Response – Mongolia

Government abstract

The Mongolian Pink Cross Society (MRCS) actively adopted and carried out the COVID-19 Nationwide Society Response Plan (NSRP) from March 2020 till the current as a way to reply to the worldwide COVID19 pandemic by helping the Authorities of Mongolia (GoM) and offering well timed help to essentially the most susceptible communities in an efficient and environment friendly method. Underneath the next main operational priorities, the response actions have been carried out nationwide throughout 21 provinces of Mongolia and 9 districts of the capital metropolis Ulaanbaatar:

1. Precedence 1 – Well being and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

2. Precedence 2 – Addressing the Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19

3. Precedence 3 – Strengthening Nationwide Society

The aim of this overview was to evaluate the progress and outcomes of the general COVID-19 response of the MRCS between February 2020 and January 2022 by way of relevance and appropriateness, effectivity, effectiveness, protection, and sustainability and connectedness to offer suggestions for additional enchancment and scale-up of the intervention in comparable state of affairs.

In doing so, the overview workforce utilized combined methodology method inclusive of each quantitative and qualitative knowledge assortment and evaluation strategies. The overview coated whole of 390 individuals reached and 80 volunteers who took half within the implementation of the MRCS COVID-19 response actions throughout the quantitative survey. As well as, 23 key informant interviews with authorities authorities, institutional representatives, and implementation degree employees have been carried out, 5 focus group discussions have been organized with individuals who have been reached and never reached by the MRCS COVID-19 response and volunteers, and one case examine was carried out together with desk overview of key paperwork.

Key findings of the overview

The GoM has carried out the COVID-19 response in 4 important areas together with (i) Administration and coordination, (ii) Data, communication, surveillance and management, (iii) Help and repair, and (iv) Assets, provides and finance. These areas seem like immediately related to the three operational priorities outlined by the MRCS. Throughout the peak of the pandemic, over 100,000 individuals wanted medical care which resulted in scarcity of human assets within the well being services in any respect ranges. Accordingly, the foremost actions carried out by the MRCS, together with human useful resource help and materials support carried out based mostly on the pressing wants of presidency companies, have yielded passable outcomes.

The MRCS skilled and mobilized 1,440 volunteers to offer help at main well being items and the Nationwide Heart for Communicable Ailments (NCCD). Because of this, a complete of 148,200 COVID-19 contacts have been recognized, 534,250 individuals have been supported by way of group WASH actions that diminished the chance of COVID-19 transmission, and 118,200 individuals have been vaccinated. As well as, a complete of 112 well being services throughout Mongolia has been supported with private protecting gear and WASH provides.

The MRCS distributed pandemic-related data (COVID-19 danger communication, well being, and hygiene promotion messages) to a complete of two.9 million individuals nationwide by way of completely different channels with the help from their volunteers has, this had a big affect on enhancing public well being and illness prevention.

Being one of many key members of the State Emergency Fee, the MRCS was the one humanitarian group who was in a position to mobilize and are available into contact with those that have been contaminated and affected by COVID-19 in offering help and help in the course of the strict lockdown imposed by the federal government in the course of the peak of pandemic. Over the previous two years, the MRCS has generated Swiss Franc (CHF) 2,152,035 by the funding from Pink Cross and Pink Crescent Motion members and different worldwide and home organizations (and people) and spent a complete of CHF 2,082,182 on the COVID-19 response, of which 51.5% or CHF 1,073,236 have been spent on lowering the socioeconomic opposed impacts of the pandemic.

Because of this, 184,380 individuals who have develop into susceptible by way of earnings loss as a result of COVID-19 acquired meals and different in-kind help which diminished the chance of malnutrition in the course of the pandemic. 91.9% of households (of 390 survey respondents of the overview) that often acquired meals help from the MRCS acknowledged that help supplied by the MRCS has glad all of their wants by enhancing their livelihoods. As well as, 4 households acquired long-term employment promotion grants from the MRCS. Two of the households that participated in our survey acknowledged that they have been utterly glad and talked about how a lot of an affect the employment promotion grants made on their life.

The overview concluded that the MRCS tailored adjustments and modifications in its operations to higher reply to international degree well being emergency and effectively mobilized its inner human assets together with volunteers. Employees in any respect ranges concerned within the COVID-19 response measures had entry to well timed data, coordination, the method of creating understanding, administration, steerage, decision-making pointers, and monitoring prospects because of the MRCS’s environment friendly administration construction.

The first and secondary knowledge that the overview workforce collected for the overview means that the MRCS has an official course of with documentation and pointers on who, to whom, when, and how you can implement the COVID-19 response, and has carried out a number of important coaching and workshops for volunteers and related officers to implement them.

One other key discovering of the overview was that volunteer mobilization was considerably efficient averaging 8.90 rating factors out of most 10 rating factors as rated by 80 surveyed volunteers. As a part of the COVID-19 response, the MRCS has organized varied kinds of on-line and in-person coaching, workshop, and expertise sharing periods overlaying 4,307 volunteers and employees (in overlapped quantity) to strengthen their preparedness, institutional readiness to catastrophe and disaster, and monetary stability abilities.

The variety of accomplice organizations which have coordinated with the MRCS had elevated by 16 from 54 to 70 in the course of the interval of 2021 and 2022 as a part of the COVID-19 response. All 23 representatives of stakeholders who’ve been interviewed in the course of the overview highlighted that the MRCS response actions have been extremely efficient and achieved its preliminary plans.

Key classes discovered and suggestions derived from the overview

It’s essential to maintain up the wonderful apply of supporting medical doctors, bridging the human useful resource shortages in healthcare organizations, and emphasizing volunteer involvement on this space of pandemic response. Focus must be positioned on attaining age and gender parity, elevating the worth of involvement, creating rewards for diligence, and establishing a system that may be sustained over the long run for the recruitment and retention of volunteers. Authorities officers have notably emphasised and acknowledged the surveillance work carried out by the volunteers as among the finest practices that was taken as a part of the response measures.

Distribution of details about the pandemic (the COVID-19 danger communication, well being, and hygiene promotion messages to the general public) by way of the media and volunteer mobilization by the MRCS had a big affect on enhancing public well being and illness prevention. It’s crucial to proceed fixed consciousness elevating and advocacy work on public well being utilizing the identical data strategies which have confirmed to achieve success in reaching most of the people.

Throughout the overview, it was noticed that present quantity and composition of staffing on the MRCS on all ranges lacked to totally reply to comparable international emergencies that cowl mass inhabitants sooner or later.

Mobilization of volunteers was confirmed to be efficient in addressing this problem. Nonetheless, insurance policies and initiatives should be deliberate and put into motion to deal with the funds required to extend the workforce and human assets. To keep up the sustainability of present skilled and skilled workforce and volunteers, in depth evaluation could possibly be carried out to take away overlaps in roles and tasks and reduce workload per employees together with appropriate incentivization measures.

One of many core challenges confronted by the MRCS employees and volunteers throughout their COVID-19 response actions was logistical points. Particularly, the shortage of ordinary warehouses to retailer all meals objects and absence in transportation to ship assistances to the goal communities was considerably essential. In some instances, MRCS employees at mid-branch ranges had to make use of their private autos to move and ship meals parcels to households in addition to native services like faculty halls and khoroo buildings which have been utilized as warehouses to deal with and overcome this issue. As a consequence of this issue and a scarcity of funds, the MRCS employed varied unconventional areas and even operated its important workplace as a warehouse. Transportation situation was addressed by way of contracting with corporations that present transportation providers, equivalent to taxicab corporations and car rental companies.This was one other clever transfer. Establishing logistics division in keeping with the logistics evaluation and desires could possibly be important in addressing additional comparable challenges sooner or later.

It was found in the course of the overview that monitoring-evaluation and accountability system was not correctly in place throughout the MRCS. For the reason that MRCS collaborates with quite a few organizations each nationwide and internationally, programs to inform, report, overview, and enhance the effectiveness of operations must be put in place and carried out in any respect ranges of the Nationwide Society – Basic Secretariat, mid and primary-level branches. As well as, group suggestions and response mechanism should be established throughout the MRCS to boost accountability in direction of the general public.

An built-in cloud database with particulars on the goal group’s geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic data must be created and utilized to make sure these in want of help are recognized and reached accordingly. The database will make it potential to swiftly find those that require assist and help in addition to to maintain monitor of whether or not provides have been given to the correct individuals. This must be adopted with wants evaluation, pre and put up distribution surveys to extend accuracy of protection sooner or later.

Planning for a long-lasting disaster like a pandemic entails a number of levels, throughout which era the necessities and context of the populace change in accordance with the circumstances. The actions taken by the MRCS up till the tip of 2021 have been meant to alleviate rapid sufferings introduced on by a number of lockdowns, job losses, and different unfavourable implications on livelihood and family financial system.

Being the primary humanitarian responder, the MRCS well timed engaged on this essential and vital space of motion to cease malnutrition from affecting essentially the most susceptible by way of humanitarian support. In response to the numerous socio-economic results of COVID 19, the MRCS is increasing and scaling-up its present help for meals safety and livelihoods and adapting new packages to cope with the pandemic’s results as acknowledged of their Nationwide Society Response Plan on 2022.