Hospitals Safe from Disasters

World Health Day – 2009 Save lives: make hospitals safe in emergencies The theme for this year’s World Health Day is “Health Facilities in Emergencies”. The South-East Asia Region has long experienced many disasters and in some of these health facilities were a major casualty. For example, during the 26 December 2004 tsunami, 30 of the 240 health clinics were destroyed in Aceh province, Indonesia and seriously damaged 77 others. In Sri Lanka, 92 health facilities were destroyed including 35 hospitals… More information…	WHO advocates for hospitals that are safe from disasters Health facilities are lifelines in the aftermath of any natural disaster when large numbers of people need urgent medical treatment. On the International Day for Disaster Reduction, the World Health Organization is urging Member States in the South-East Asia Region to ensure all hospitals and health facilities are disaster-resilient. Health facilities that are damaged or fail to function after disasters could lead to a secondary disaster, increasing the risk of death or disability among the affected people. Photo essay
What is a hospital safe from disasters?		Special issue of FOCUS magazine examines risk reduction in the health sector
Safe hospitals come in all shapes and sizes. All health facilities -large or small, urban or rural- are the target of the World Disaster Reduction Campaign 'Hospitals Safe from Disasters.' The issue of safe hospitals is about more than just protecting physical structures. Hospitals are safe from disasters when health services are accessible and functioning, at maximum capacity, immediately after disasters or in emergencies. Click here for more about disaster-resilient health facilities.		The new issue of FOCUS shines the light on safe hospitals and health facilities and also includes articles on the Hyogo Framework for Action, the global blueprint for disaster risk reduction; the WHO-UN/SIDR World Disaster Risk Reduction Campaign and the benchmark for safe health facilities endorsed by WHO’s South-East Asia member countries. EHA - Focus-Volume2, February 2008 [PDF 2 MB]
WHO and UN/ISDR mark launch of world campaign in India		Experts discuss way forward for safer health facilities in South-East Asia
WHO and the ISDR continue to mark the celebration of the World Disaster Reduction Campaign, most recently at a launch ceremony in New Delhi, India. The campaign calls on nations worldwide to reduce vulnerability in health facilities. It focuses on their structural safety and ability to remain functional in emergency situations, as well as on making sure the health workforce is prepared to continue providing services in these critical situations. Click here for the World Disaster Reduction Campaign kit More about the launch of the Campaign in New Delhi		Multisector experts met in New Delhi in April at a Regional Consultation on Hospitals Safe from Disasters. The meeting was organized to: 1. Increase awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding hospitals safe from disasters 2. Identify opportunities to strengthen risk reduction, preparedness in health facilities during and beyond the two-year ISDR/WHO World Disaster Reduction Campaign. 3. Develop a framework Action Plan with respect to hospitals safe from disasters, including mechanisms to capture progress. Click here for the programme, presentations and conclusions of the meeting.