TY - JOUR T1 - Reorienting and rebuilding the health system in war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007088 VL - 6 IS - 8 SP - e007088 AU - Azeb Gebresilassie Tesema AU - Yohannes Kinfu Y1 - 2021/08/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/8/e007088.abstract N2 - Summary boxConflict and war have direct and indirect effects on health and health systems.The war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has already caused a considerable number of casualties, massive internal displacement and over 70 000 refugees in neighbouring Sudan. It also led to the collapse of the health system.The task of restoring and rebuilding Tigray’s health system requires maintaining a balance between providing urgent humanitarian assistance and building a resilient health system.It requires reorienting service delivery according to location and security level; redefining the essential health service package to meet new needs; building capacity for emergency response; reskilling and empowering the health workforce and coordinating actors and resources to create a sustainable and resilient health system.Armed conflict and war, directly and indirectly, affect health and health systems.1 2 Globally, conflict was responsible for over 63 000 deaths and over 2.7 million years of lives lost due to disability in 2019.3 The war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, which started in November 2020, has already caused a considerable number of casualties, massive internal displacement and over 70 000 refugees in neighbouring Sudan.4 A recent report by World Food Program suggests that 91% of the region’s six million people require immediate emergency humanitarian assistance, and 400 000 people had crossed the ‘threshold into famine’.5 6 Evidence also revealed that women and girls were subjected to sexual abuse and gender-based violence in this war.6 In addition, the destruction, vandalisation and looting of health facilities have left millions of people without access to essential healthcare.7The process of restoring and rebuilding Tigray’s health system will likely be shaped by many factors and take several years. In this paper, we outline three interrelated action points that we think should guide any future effort: health system adaptation; protecting, reskilling and … ER -