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Photo credit: Genaye Eshetu for FHI 360
Haben Haleform, health officer
Photo credit: Genaye Eshetu for FHI 360
Health officer Haben Haleform begins the morning by checking in with his co-workers — a midwife, a psychiatrist and another health officer — to review the day ahead. The mobile medical team provides critical care in camps for those displaced by Ethiopia’s civil war (2020–2022). As people who are displaced themselves, they share a bond with patients. Haleform recalls the horrors of war, with months trapped at home amid constant gunfire.
The team provides accessible care — free medical services, health education and medication — for all ages. It addresses various conditions, supports mental health concerns and refers patients needing specialized care to nearby hospitals. The midwife educates mothers on breastfeeding, monitors malnutrition and offers essential vitamins for healthy pregnancies.
Theirs is one of three mobile medical units in Tigray operated by FHI 360. Coordinating with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, FHI 360 hires local medical staff, keeping the existing health system intact.
Since we are all displaced and living alongside them, we can easily share our problems without hiding anything.