Primary Health Care doctors receive supportive supervision on mental healthcare provision in conflict-affected regions 

As part of the European Union (EU)- funded "Coordination and Transformation of Mental Health Services in the Post-Conflict Setting" project, World Health Organization (WHO) in Azerbaijan organized a field visit to Barda, Aghjabadi, and Aghdam. The purpose of the visit to participate in a supportive supervision session with primary health care (PHC) doctors who had previously been trained to recognize and respond to the most frequent mental health issues in the community. 

The visit also served as an opportunity to strengthen collaboration with local health facilities and the local government. Dr. Hande Harmanci, WHO Representative in Azerbaijan, together with the WHO project team and representatives from TABIB, met with the director of Aghdam District Central Hospital, Dr. Rovshan Ahmadov, and had a conversation with the PHC physicians. 

The group then visited the Aghdam Inter-district Mental-neurological Disease Dispensary where they were informed by Dr. Emin Suleymanov, the director of the Dispensary, that they provide mental healthcare services to one million people in Aghdam and the surrounding Aghjabadi, Beylagan, Fuzuli, Imishli, and Lachin. Dr. Emin also commented on the positive effects of including social workers in the provision of mental health care at the community level with the initiative of WHO. The delegation was then received by Vagif Hasanov, the head of Aghdam Executive Power, who praised the project and emphasized the need for strengthening such services.   

The Coordination and Transformation of Mental Health Services in Post-conflict Settings is an EU-funded project implemented by WHO Azerbaijan to improve mental healthcare services at the primary care level.  

The project aims to help establish a multidisciplinary coordination mechanism for MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) and to build mental healthcare response capacity in PHC facilities. This project is covering 5 districts surrounding former line of contact: Aghdam, Aghjabadi, Barda, Fuzuli, and Tartar and is part of the European Union's and WHO's continued support to Azerbaijan.