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The Use of Cluster Sampling to Determine Aid Needs in Grozny, Chechnya in 1995
Author(s) -
Drysdale Sean,
Howarth John,
Powell Valerie,
Healing Tim
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/1467-7717.00143
Subject(s) - agency (philosophy) , environmental health , cluster sampling , medicine , cluster (spacecraft) , capital (architecture) , health care , nonprobability sampling , health services , medical emergency , business , economic growth , geography , sociology , population , archaeology , computer science , programming language , economics , social science
War broke out in Chechnya in November 1994 following a three‐year economic blockade. It caused widespread destruction in the capital Grozny. In April 1995 Medical Relief International ‐ or Merlin, a British medical non‐governmental organisation (NGO) ‐ began a programme to provide medical supplies, support health centres, control communicable disease and promote preventive health‐care in Grozny. In July 1995 the agency undertook a city‐wide needs assessment using a modification of the cluster sampling technique developed by the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. This showed that most people had enough drinking‐water, food and fuel but that provision of medical care was inadequate. The survey allowed Merlin to redirect resources earmarked for a clean water programme towards health education and improving primary health‐care services. It also showed that rapid assessment by a statistically satisfactory method is both possible and useful in such a situation.