Sustainable and Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Services for Persons with Severe Disabilities in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam Provinces (HOLD MY HAND)

The project was a fixed amount award, implemented by the Institute of Population, Health and Development (PHAD) as the prime organization and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as the sub-grantee in close collaboration with Binh Dinh and Quang Nam departments of health. The project was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with a total value of US $1,993,592. The project focused on two main objectives: 1) To deliver home-based care (HBC) for 600 persons with severe disabilities in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam province; and 2) To strengthen 10 interdisciplinary rehabilitation service units at provincial and district hospitals in Binh Dinh province. The project was structured and approved with a total of 19 milestones and project deliverables for three years, starting on August 14th, 2018, to August 13th, 2021. Despite facing challenges in obtaining government approval and the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, the project achieved its objectives and targets by the time of the final report. The project delivered home-based care to 630 persons with severe disabilities, exceeding the target of 600, and provided improved rehabilitation services and systems to 2,846 persons with disabilities in the two provinces. The project also strengthened the capacity of 13 rehabilitation units at provincial and targeted district hospitals in Binh Dinh, exceeding the original target of 10 units. The project made significant contributions to different building blocks of the rehabilitation and health system in Binh Dinh, including strengthening rehabilitation service delivery, developing the capacity of health workforce in occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy (ST), expanding the provision of medical products and technologies, improving health information systems, and increasing leadership and governance. The project also developed guidelines on standard operating procedures (SOP) for interdisciplinary rehabilitation services for persons with severe disabilities in Binh Dinh. The project learned several lessons, including the importance of social support and connection in enabling persons with disabilities to live independently and improve their quality of life, the necessity of using information and communication technology (ICT) tools and solutions in the context of COVID-19, and the importance of direct support to persons with disabilities being accompanied by healthcare and rehabilitation system strengthening. The project also emphasized the importance of ongoing learning and adaptation to new situations, responding to feedback from persons with disabilities and local participants to ensure project effectiveness. The project's contributions to the rehabilitation and health system in Binh Dinh were significant, with the largest contribution being made to service delivery on home-based care for persons with severe disabilities at home and health facilities at provincial and district levels. The project also contributed to the development of OT and ST professions, provided assistive products and aids for independent living, improved health information systems, and strengthened leadership and governance in rehabilitation.