Over the years Oxfam has been involved in a wide variety of health-related projects. The Practical Health Guides draw on this experience to put forward ideas on best practice in the provision of health care and services in developing countries. Drawing on the experience of Oxfam staff in many different emergency situations, this text is a short, practical introduction to the provision of health care in emergencies. It provides a checklist of the information required to build up a rapid picture of the situation and of healthcare needs and describes the implementation of health care procedures and the necessary facilities, including information on feeding, preventive health care, clinical care and control of common diseases such as measles, diarrhoea and malaria. Issues arising from long term displacement and information about evaluation are also provided. Detailed information on aspects of health care such as nutrition, deficiency diseases, drugs, water and treatment protocols is given in the form of appendices.

* Acknowledgements
* Introduction
* 1.Assessment and Planning
* 1.1 Introduction
* 1.2 Checklist of information required for assessment;
* 1.2.1Demography
* 1.2.2 Cmp enviroment
* 1.2.3 Logistics
* 1.2.4 Shelter
* 1.2.5 Enviromental health
* Water
* Sanitation and vector control
* Hygiene promotion
* 1.2.6 Food and nutrition
* Nutritional status
* Food availability
* General ration
* Selective feeding
* 1.2.7 Health status and medical care
* Mortality
* Morbidity
* Medical care
* 1.2.8 Psycho-social isses
* 1.3 Planning
* 1.3.1 Assessment as the basis for planning
* 1.3.2 Operational principles
* Standardisation
* Integration
* Participation and co-ordination
* Appropriate level of services
* Equity and ease of access
* Preventive and curative care
* 1.2.3 General issues
* 2.Implementation and monitoring
* 2.1 Health Information System
* 2.2 Food and nutrition
* 2.2.1 Nutritional status
* 2.2.2 General feeding
* Purpose
* Admission criteria
* DIscharge criteria
* Content
* Method of distribution
* 2.2.4 Therapeutic feeding
* Purpose
* Admission criteria
* DIscharge criteria
* Content
* Method of distribution
* 2.2.5 Monitoring
* Nutritional surveillance
* General ration programme
* Supplementary and therapeutic feeding
* 2.3 Preventive health care
* 2.3.1 Preventive health care
* 2.3.1 Enviromental Health
* Water supply
* Sanitation and waste disposal
* Vector control
* Shelter
* 2.3.2 Immunisation
* 2.3.3 Health promotion
* 2.4 Control of communicable diseases
* 2.4.1 Summary of main methods for controling diseases
* 2.4.2 Investigating disease outbreakes (epidemics)
* 2.4.3Control of common diseases
* Measles
* Diarrhoeal diseases
* Bacillary dysentery
* Malaria
* Acute respiratory infections
* Hepititis
* Meningococcal meningitis
* Turberculosis
* HIV/AIDS 2.5 Clinical care
* 2.5.1 Physical facilities, structures, staffing
* Organisation of health centre
* Staffing
* Monitoring
* 2.5.2 Health care for women and children
* 2.5.3 Laboratory facilities
* 2.5.4 Essential drugs and equipment
* Drug procurement
* 2.6 Psycosocial issues
* 2.6.1 Identification of vulnerable groups
* 2.6.2 Rehabilitation: strengthening community coping mechanisms
* 2.6.3 Training in awareness of psychosocial issues
* 2.6.4 Post-traumatic stress disorder
* 2.6.5 Monitoring
* 2.7 Training
* 2.7.1 Training needs
* 2.7.2 Training issues
* 2.7.3 Training method
* 3. Issues arising from long-term displacement
* 3.1 Introduction
* 3.2 Health Information System
* 3.3 Nutrition
* 3.3.1 Food rations
* 3.3.2 Supplementary feeding programmes
* 3.4 Environmental health
* 3.5 Immunisation
* 3.6 Health promotion
* 3.7 Disease control
* 3.8 Disability
* 3.9 Clinical care
* 3.10 Psycho-social issues
* 3.11 Training
* 4.Evaluation
* 4.1 Purpose of evaluation
* 4.2 Timing and scope of evaluation
* 4.3 Information required for evaluation
* 4.4 Types of indicator
* 4.5 Data collection for evaluation
* 4.6 Participatory evaluation
* 4.7 Reporting and using the findings
* Appendices
* 1. Mortality rates
* 2. Nutrition surveys
* 3. Nutritional values of food aid commodities
* 4. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
* 5. Supplementary feeding recipes;6. Water quality and chlorination
* 7. Lists of essential drugs
* 8.Treatment protocols for diarrhoea fever (and chloroquine-resistant malaria) acute respiratory infections
* 9. Vaccine storage; immunisation schedules;drug storage
* 10. Sample monitoring and surveillance form
* References and further reading
* Glossary
* Index.

Catherine Mears
Catherine Mears has worked in the field of public health in emergencies for several years. She is the co-author of Health Care for Refugees and Displaced People, published by Oxfam GB in 1994.

S Chowdhury
Chowdhury is Associate Coordinator at Eminence Associates for Social Development, Bangladesh. She was Senior Assistant Coordinator at Eminence Associates for Social Development (EASD) and Assistant at Social Development Foundation (SDF).