World Health Day 2009
Save lives. Make hospitals safe in emergencies
World Health Day 2009 focuses on the safety of health facilities and the readiness of health workers who treat those affected by emergencies. Health centres and staff are critical lifelines for vulnerable people in disasters - treating injuries, preventing illnesses and caring for people's health needs.
They are cornerstones for primary health care in communities – meeting everyday needs, such as safe childbirth services, immunizations and chronic disease care that must continue in emergencies. Often, already fragile health systems are unable to keep functioning through a disaster, with immediate and future public health consequences.
This year, WHO and international partners are underscoring the importance of investing in health infrastructure that can withstand hazards and serve people in immediate need. They are also urging health facilities to implement systems to respond to internal emergencies, such as fires, and ensure the continuity of care.
Statement for World Health Day 2009
Dr
Margaret Chan
Director-General of the World Health Organization
When an emergency or disaster occurs, most lives are lost or saved in the immediate aftermath of the event. People count on hospitals and health facilities to respond, swiftly and efficiently, as the lifeline for survival and the backbone of support.
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WHO/Nick Otto WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan talks to nurses during her visit in November 2008 to the earthquake-affected areas in China's Sichuan province. |
The tragedy of a major emergency or disaster is compounded when health facilities fail. When a hospital collapses or its functions are disrupted, lives that depend on emergency care can be lost. Interruptions in routine services can also be deadly.
In large emergencies, such as those caused by earthquakes or floods, some countries have lost as much as 50% of their hospital capacity, right at the time when life-saving services were most acutely needed.
Apart from causing increased suffering and loss of life, the failure of health facilities during an emergency can provoke a public outcry, especially when shoddy construction or violations of building codes are thought to be at fault.
Such public concern is fully justified. As this web site shows, it costs surprisingly little to construct a new hospital that can withstand the shocks of earthquakes, floods, or high winds. It costs even less to retrofit existing facilities to keep their services running at critical times. It costs almost nothing to integrate risk management and emergency preparedness into a hospital’s operational plans.
To commemorate World Health Day this year, WHO is advocating a series of best practices that can be implemented, in any resource setting, to make hospitals safe during emergencies. Apart from safe siting and resilient construction, good planning and carrying out emergency exercises in advance can help maintain critical functions. Proven measures range from early warning systems to a simple hospital safety assessment, from protecting equipment and supplies to preparing staff to manage mass casualties and infection control measures.
Different types of emergencies bring typical patterns of injuries, such as crush injuries in earthquakes and hypothermia in floods, with corresponding needs for training and supplies. These needs can be anticipated in advance, and surge capacity can be tailored to manage them.
It is smart to think and plan ahead. Worldwide, the number of emergencies and disasters is rising. This trend is certain to continue as urbanization crowds people together on unsafe sites and climate change brings more frequent and more severe extreme weather events. We need to anticipate a growing number of areas that will become disaster-prone.
Abundant experience demonstrates the tremendous pay-off, also at the political level, when hospitals remain standing and functioning as beacons of security and solidity in the midst of disaster and despair. We must never forget: hospitals and health facilities represent a significant investment. Keeping them safe in emergencies protects that investment, while also protecting the health and safety of people – our foremost concern
