Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Background The war in Tigray has caused significant damage to the region's healthcare facilities. This study aimed to assess the extent of the war's impact on healthcare facilities in the Eastern Tigray Zone. Methods A mixed research strategy was used, with both quantitative and q...

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Main Authors: Fikre Belay Tekulu, Haftom Teshale Gebre
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-06-01
Series:Public Health Challenges
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.70063
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author Fikre Belay Tekulu
Haftom Teshale Gebre
author_facet Fikre Belay Tekulu
Haftom Teshale Gebre
author_sort Fikre Belay Tekulu
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Background The war in Tigray has caused significant damage to the region's healthcare facilities. This study aimed to assess the extent of the war's impact on healthcare facilities in the Eastern Tigray Zone. Methods A mixed research strategy was used, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Primary data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, and observations, whereas secondary data were obtained from published and unpublished documents. Participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. The collected data were analyzed using a linear regression model to determine the statistical significance of the findings. Results The study found that the impact of the war on healthcare facilities was high to very high, with 97.9% of the damage attributed to the war. Of the 177 healthcare facilities in the Eastern Tigray Zone, 29 (16.4%) were severely affected, and 118 (66.66%) were totally damaged. This indicates that 83% of the health system in the region was damaged. The linear regression model showed that the war explained 55.8% of the observed health facility damage. Conclusions The damage to health facilities in the Eastern Tigray Zone has led to the complete collapse of the health system at the zone level. The urgent need for reconstruction and restoration of health facilities is highlighted to provide essential health services to the affected population. The government and concerned individuals must take immediate action to address this critical situation and help mitigate the negative impact of the war on the health of the people in Tigray.
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spelling doaj-art-a3260a1633df4f3495eec0e37cd2c3e92025-08-20T03:32:04ZengWileyPublic Health Challenges2769-24502025-06-0142n/an/a10.1002/puh2.70063Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, EthiopiaFikre Belay Tekulu0Haftom Teshale Gebre1Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, College of Social Science and Humanities Adigrat University Adigrat EthiopiaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, College of Social Science and Humanities Adigrat University Adigrat EthiopiaABSTRACT Background The war in Tigray has caused significant damage to the region's healthcare facilities. This study aimed to assess the extent of the war's impact on healthcare facilities in the Eastern Tigray Zone. Methods A mixed research strategy was used, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Primary data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, and observations, whereas secondary data were obtained from published and unpublished documents. Participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. The collected data were analyzed using a linear regression model to determine the statistical significance of the findings. Results The study found that the impact of the war on healthcare facilities was high to very high, with 97.9% of the damage attributed to the war. Of the 177 healthcare facilities in the Eastern Tigray Zone, 29 (16.4%) were severely affected, and 118 (66.66%) were totally damaged. This indicates that 83% of the health system in the region was damaged. The linear regression model showed that the war explained 55.8% of the observed health facility damage. Conclusions The damage to health facilities in the Eastern Tigray Zone has led to the complete collapse of the health system at the zone level. The urgent need for reconstruction and restoration of health facilities is highlighted to provide essential health services to the affected population. The government and concerned individuals must take immediate action to address this critical situation and help mitigate the negative impact of the war on the health of the people in Tigray.https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.70063eastern Tigrayeffecthealth institutionshealth serviceswar
spellingShingle Fikre Belay Tekulu
Haftom Teshale Gebre
Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia
Public Health Challenges
eastern Tigray
effect
health institutions
health services
war
title Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia
title_full Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia
title_fullStr Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia
title_short Effect of War on Health Institutions of Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia
title_sort effect of war on health institutions of eastern tigray ethiopia
topic eastern Tigray
effect
health institutions
health services
war
url https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.70063
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