Safety and security of hospitals during natural disasters: Challenges of disaster managers

The desire for earthquake hazard mitigation has been the focus of many researchers and governments for decades. This is paramount because an earthquake disaster can quickly cause many injuries, fatalities, and damages. The global database of the 21,000 most devastating disasters (earthquakes included) since 1900 indicates that 50% of them with the most significant number of injuries occurred only during the past 20 years. In human history, the Xaanxi earthquake is ranked third among the disasters that claimed more lives. In addition, earthquakes contributed to six of the most deadly disasters of the past two decades and 21% of the economic losses. In the same period, the earthquakes due to the Virunga volcanic activity were responsible for more than 100 deaths and extensive material and infrastructure damage. The referenced information and statistical data about the earthquake occurrence process, adverse effects, economic losses, and the current technological success in reducing its risks through warning systems are the basis for developing this paper. The authors aim to raise awareness and recommend that the Virunga region countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda) be a good place for an Earthquake Early Warning System and Earthquake Management Plan. An Earthquake Early Warning System even caught the attention of the United Nations, where the endorsed Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR, 2015) specified that early warning must be a priority and has to be substantially evolved by 2030.

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“…Mexico City Earthquake,13 hospitals collapsed, 866 people died and 100 were health personnel 38 Mexico 1985…”

Section: Volcanic Activity Of the Virunga Mountainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earthquake Early Warning System: A Solution for Life Rescue in Health Facilities and Risks Mitigation for the population of the Virunga Region

et al. 2022

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“…Hospitals must remain safe and functional during and after disasters. Therefore, hospitals must plan for disasters and be aware of the need to remain operational during and after any event (3). It is of paramount importance to prioritize postdisaster damage and loss assessment to guarantee the safety of healthcare facilities and their patients (4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Disaster Damage and Loss Assessment in the Iranian Healthcare Sector: A qualitative study

Miri,

Atighechian,

Seyedin

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background Accurate post-disaster damage and loss assessment is critical for the success of a subsequent recovery program. A comprehensive and systematic damage and loss assessment process involves the evaluation of the physical damage and financial impact of an event on individuals, communities, and assets. To ensure effective recovery, various entities and components included in the program must be developed appropriately and efficiently. This study aims to identify the entities and components of the Iranian healthcare sector's post-disaster damage and loss assessment program. Methods This qualitative study employed purposeful sampling and semi-structured individual interviews with participants from the National Disaster Management Organization, the Iranian Red Crescent, and the disaster risk management departments of the Ministry of Health and the medical universities. The interviews were conducted face-to-face at the participants' workplaces or remotely. Thematic analysis, which is a conventional qualitative method, was employed to analyse the data. Following the transcription of the recorded interviews, the initial codes were extracted, reviewed, and classified. Results The study's results are based on the insights and experiences of a diverse group of qualified experts in their respective fields. The findings were analyzed and classified into 10 main themes, 30 sub-themes, and 1058 codes. Conclusion An understanding of the key concepts and principles enables stakeholders to respond effectively to disasters, make informed decisions, and facilitate recovery and reconstruction efforts.

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“…In order to meet the increased demands for medical care, hospitals need to adjust their work regimen. [1][2][3] The ability to respond quickly, adequately and effectively in emergency situations, by changing the performed activities and to restore the state of functionality in a short time before disaster is defined as hospital disaster resilience. The disaster hospital resilience is a function of two components: static and operational.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disaster medical support plan as an element of the hospital disaster resilience

Georgieva¹,

Kostadinov²,

Semerdjieva³

2022

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Introduction: Every disastrous event, by definition, results in infrastructure damage and a large number of casualties that exceeds the community’s ability to respond effectively and quickly to the human and material losses. The ability to respond quickly, adequately, and effectively in emergency situations, by changing the activities performed and to restore the state of functionality in a short time before disaster is defined as hospital disaster resilience. In order for disaster resilience to be granted for effective and adequate disaster response, the medical staff has to be aware of and trained on medical specialists’ activities described in the disaster medical support plan. Aim: To analyse the medical professionals’ awareness of hospital disaster medical support plan and its impact on the disaster resilience. Materials and methods: A 55-question anonymous survey was conducted among 295 hospital professionals in Plovdiv Region between July and September 2019. The respondents were questioned about their awareness of the medical activities described in the hospital disaster medical support plan. Descriptive statistics was used to calculate the relative percentages, along with the Pearson chi-square test and Spearman’s correlation. All descriptive and analytical analyses were performed using SPSS v. 21 for Windows XP. Results: Thoroughly performed analyses of the respondents’ answers presents that the medical specialists in Plovdiv Region are not well informed about the hospital disaster medical support plan’s content. Conclusions: Poor knowledge about the required changes into every medical specialist’s activities in case of a disaster has a negative impact on the hospital resilience.

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Safety and security of hospitals during natural disasters: Challenges of disaster managers

Cited by 13 publications

References 19 publications

Earthquake Early Warning System: A Solution for Life Rescue in Health Facilities and Risks Mitigation for the population of the Virunga Region

Earthquake Early Warning System: A Solution for Life Rescue in Health Facilities and Risks Mitigation for the population of the Virunga Region

Post-Disaster Damage and Loss Assessment in the Iranian Healthcare Sector: A qualitative study

Disaster medical support plan as an element of the hospital disaster resilience

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