Safety and vulnerability status of critical infrastructures against natural and man-made disasters: a case study of teaching hospitals, Kerman, Iran

Abstract

Introduction Infrastructures guarantee the continuity of services and society’s life, and any damage to them can have disastrous consequences for the affected society. Healthcare facilities, and hospitals in particular, are the most important infrastructures in a society. Considering the role of hospitals in disaster management, the present study was designed and implemented to investigate the safety and vulnerability status of teaching hospitals as critical infrastructures.Material and Method The current cross-sectional and descriptive research was conducted in 2022 in Kerman, Iran. In this study, the 2015 version of the Hospital Safety Index (HSI) prepared by WHO/PAHO was used. The HSI calculator designed by the World Health Organization was used to calculate the safety and vulnerability index.Findings Hospital A was in average safety status (B) with a safety score of 0.57. In hospital B, The final safety score was 0.71, which is generally classified as safe (A). The final hospital safety score in hospital C was 0.50, which places it in a generally average safety status (B). Hospital D was in an unsafe condition (C) with a safety score of 0.33.Conclusion Disruption of the performance of any infrastructure can affect the performance of others. Therefore, paying special attention to infrastructure safety in any society, whether developed or developing, is one of the most important governance issues. Important point in infrastructure safety is the necessity of designing decentralized retrofitting and safety programs. If retrofitting programs are designed in a centralized manner, the result will be a waste of resources.