Austria has supported the Somali Regional Health Bureau (SHRB) since 1999. The current programme capitalizes on the implementation of the Health Sector Development Plan III based on the Strategic Planning and Management (SPM) of the SRHB and  ensures the consolidation of already initiated interventions both at regional and Woreda (district) level. The programme is tailored to accommodate global and national initiatives such as the national health policy, the health sector strategy  of the government of Ethiopia and the MDGs based on the context of the region and is in line with the country's poverty reduction programme PASDEP.
The overall goal of the programme is to contribute to improved health status of the people of the Somali Regional State. While the purpose is improved health service coverage and utilization through sustainable quality of health care service.
Consolidating the technical and administrative capacity of the Regional Health Bureau (RHB) and creating an enabling environment at the Woreda health offices in order to make them ready to assume the responsibility of running the complementary  activities right after their life span is the main focus area of this programme. Improving the capacity of the health training colleges, regional women affair bureau and mainstreaming crosscutting issues like gender are also other areas given  proper attention for intervention during the programme period. 
The target beneficiaries of this programme include eight Woredas (1,3 mio. inhabitants) of which six are under the support of ADC complementary strategies as well as Jijiga Health Science Collage and Gode Health Science training institute  (planned to be opened), regional women's affairs bureau and SRHB. 
The programme will be implemented in a period of five and a half years in two phases. The current phase 1 (July 2007 to December 2009) will primarily focus on formation of functional Woreda health offices and building up and strengthening their  capacities.