Health is a foundational cluster because poor access to health services increases vulnerability across all other sectors. In remote and crisis-affected communities, lack of health care can deepen poverty, reduce school attendance, increase maternal and child risk, weaken productivity and expose households to preventable suffering. HRI’s health cluster focuses on practical, community-accessible and partnership-based approaches that strengthen primary healthcare, outreach and referral.

The strategic direction is to support vulnerable communities to access essential, affordable and quality health services, with emphasis on maternal health, immunisation, disease prevention, health education and mobile outreach in hard-to-reach areas. HRI should work through existing health structures where possible, supporting rather than replacing local systems. The cluster should also collaborate closely with WASH, nutrition, protection and education teams so that health risks are addressed comprehensively.