Project to improve the healthcare services and strengthen the capacities of CARITAS COMORES
Context
CARITAS Comores was founded in 1979 and is based at the Catholic Mission in Moroni. It was recognized as an association under the 1983 Protocol with the public authorities which was updated in 1994. In this Islamic country, the Catholic Church is only accepted for its spiritual service for foreigners (particularly the sizeable Malagasy community) and for its charity work.
The first operations were implemented in the health sector in 1979 and concerned the Moroni Urban Medical Center (UMC) and ten health centers spread out across rural areas, mainly in the southern part of Greater Comoros. CARITAS’ healthcare services are specifically destined for social categories in a precarious situation that cannot afford to pay for the consultation or hospitalization fees required by public entities. But they also concern people from the middle classes, or even the most privileged classes, in the country due to the quality of patient reception and the relatively low cost of services.
CARITAS health centers in Greater Comoros
CARITAS Comores has for a long time being playing a major role in combating endemics and epidemics and is a key player in primary healthcare actions in the country. Its actions cover vaccination, the fight against communicable diseases (including malaria, tuberculosis, STIs, leprosy, etc.) and reproductive health. The Moroni urban medical center is particularly recognized for its activities to manage burned patients and for nutritional recovery.
However, recent assessments have highlighted the numerous problems the organization suffers from due to its limited material, human and financial resources. Its infrastructure is in a relatively rundown state; its equipment is dilapidated and is no longer dimensioned for the requirements and scale of the activities that are being developed. Since 2002, CARITAS Comores has been implementing a reorganization process that has notably improved both the way it operates and cost recovery. However, much remains to be done.
It has consequently appeared necessary to provide technical and financial assistance in order to allow the organization to strengthen its actions, make them sustainable and improve the services provided.
Objectives
The overall objective of the project, for which a financing agreement was signed on 1 March 2010, is consequently to improve the effectiveness and quality of services provided by CARITAS Comores’ health entities. This involves helping the institution define and implement an intervention strategy that will enable it to improve its services for poor populations and, at the same time, ensure that its organization is sustainable and viable.
Project description
The project is based on 2 components:
Component 1 of the project aims:
• to improve the availability and quality of the healthcare services provided by Caritas Comores 
structures. To achieve this, the project will i) provide support for the drawing up of a medical project to define the roles and missions of Caritas Comores’ health entities, ii) finance training and capacity building for medical and paramedical staff, iii) provide allocations for equipment, drugs and essential consumables, and iv) rehabilitate certain Caritas Comores health entities in order to improve patient reception and working conditions for doctors and nurses.
Component 2 of the project will:
• participate in institutional and organizational capacity building for Caritas Comores with actions aiming to improve good governance and strengthen management-administration, planning and supervision-evaluation capacities.
Impacts
By financing this project, AFD, Secours Catholique and CARITAS Comores aim to help improve the health status of the population of Comoros, particularly the most vulnerable.
Dates and amounts
This 3-year project represents a total amount of €995 065, including 75% provided by AFD in the form of a grant, 20% made available by Secours Catholique (particularly via financing for technical assistance) and 5% of CARITAS Comores’ self-financing.
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