homehomeeventsappreciationstheteampartnershipsupportuscontactus

SARITSA FOUNDATION ORGANISEDNATIONAL SEMINAR ON
MAKING HOSPITALS AND RURAL HEALTH CENTERS SAFER FROM DISASTERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN COLLABORATION WITH NDMA AND GOVERNMENT OF MAHARASHTRA AT BOMBAY HOSPITAL FROM 24 TO 25 NOVEMBER 2010

 


 Major General JK Bansal, Honorable Member, National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India. Inaugurating the Seminar as Chief Guest.


Health Services Staff of K E M Hospital. As participants


Health Services Staff of Nair Hospital, J J Hospital and Lilavati hospital Participants


Mumbai Fire Brigade Participants.


Experts, and NGOs Representatives 

National Seminar on Making Hospitals and Rural Health Centers Safer from Disasters on 24th and 25th November 2010 at Bombay Hospital Mumbai

Executive Summary and Action Points

 “Involve and Inspire People to Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities and Save lives”

The Seminar has been a part of inclusive emphasis to initiate and strengthen preparedness process at the levels of Urban Hospitals and Rural Health centers to minimize risks which are increasingly posed by natural and manmade disaster. It has been a step forward to integrate National Disasters Management Authority Government of India, Maharashtra State Disasters Management Authority Government of Maharashtra, 250 experts, academia, UNDP, civil defense representatives, fire brigade officers, participants of educational institutions for disasters management education, civil society organizations, practitioners   health’s services staff which included Directors of Medical services of states and a  large number of doctors and young energetic nursing staff from many government and private sector hospitals. It provided a common platform to brain storm the issues and  process of making City Hospitals resilient to disasters as well as preparedness of district hospitals and primary health centers in rural areas  with equal priority.

Deliberation during the seminar acknowledged several initiatives taken by the National Disasters Management Authority Govt. of India, UNISDR, WHO, Ministry of Health and family welfare Govt. of India, Maharashtra state disaster management authority and similar organizations in other states, Armed force medical services, Indian counsel of Medical research and Defense Research and Development organization and many other stake holders.


The importance of this Seminar lies in integration of participants to identify  the importance of building capacity of health services  at lowest level and sensitize  risk reduction preparedness with a paradigm shift in conventional approach to adopting  “bottom upwards” methodology where thousands of primary health centers, districts hospitals, mega city hospitals and hospitals in many towns of India with equal sensitivity.

It is important  to envision the enormity of responsibility and commitment in India to make 7663 hospitals with 4,92,000 beds, 4256 hospitals in rural areas with 3,40,308 beds, 262 medical colleges, 1,44,988  sub centers, 22669 primary health centers and 3910 community health safer from disasters as  well as enforcement  of laid down guide lines for construction and operation of new heath facilities.( Dr. P Ravindara, Director General of Health Services- April 2008)

The aims and objectives of the Seminar had focused on multidimensional aspect of making  hospitals and Rural Health Centers  safe from disasters . The themes which were discussed at the Seminar are as under:-

  1. Making Hospitals and Health Facilities Safe from Disasters is an   essential dimension of Resilient Cities-Evolution of action plans for structural requirements, national buildings codes and mechanism for retrofitting including financial implications.
  2. Safer Hospitals from disasters are a collective responsibility – integration of local authorities, emergency and disaster management agencies and civil society organization including community health workers- an analysis.
  3. Saving Hospitals and Health Facilities from a severe earthquake - a study for mega cities including preparation by health workers.
  4.  Preparing Hospitals for Terrorism including Chemical, Biological and Nuclear emergencies.
  5. Evolution of standard operating procedures for Information Management and communication in disaster and emergencies.
  6. Integrating field mobile Hospitals and International Field Mobile Hospitals in a Scenario of Mass Casualty in Disasters.
  7. Evolving action plans for urban and rural health center to minimize risks from cyclone with special reference to costal areas.
  8. Making Hospitals and Hospital facilities resilient to vulnerabilities of floods in urban and rural areas – discuss.
  9. Building bottom up resilient partnership with community to minimize loss of lives in disaster and epidemics. - Learning to act to together analyze.
  10. Trauma management in disasters.
  11. Organization of relief and recovery of Hospital Facilities and services after disasters
  12. Health care waste management an important dimension of Disaster management for safer hospitals.
  13. Assessing accessibility and connectivity of hospitals with nodes of transportation net work in mega cities (Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata) - developing mechanism to cope with evacuation of mass casualties in disasters
  14. Envisioning role of Ambulance Services including Air Ambulance in Disasters.
  15.  “ Envisioning and developing plans to procure Medicines and Material to Continuously Support in critical stages of disasters and emergencies – An Analysis.’.
  16. Environment Degradation: Climate change: Disasters: human Health.
  17. Making Rural Primary Health Centers Safer from Flood Disasters- The Road Ahead-A case study of Bihar Floods.
  18. MAKING HOSPITALS AND RURAL HEALTH CENTERS SAFE FROM EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS -  People’s Partnership an Essential Dimension for Raising Awareness, Imparting Education and Training.
  19. Importance of Understanding and Preparing Hospital Safety Index.

 

Challenges:-

1.      Wide gaps remain unplugged in implementation of guidelines issued  by National Disaster Management Authority Government of India ,and State Government Authorities at local levels to transform these in to action.
2.      To take initiatives for assessment of vulnerabilities of health facilities to make them safer and to plan retrofitting of these is not yet taken care as needed.
3.      Developing state wise mechanisms of trained evaluators to conduct     vulnerability assessment for structural, non structural, and functional mitigation as well as development of hospital safety index is non existent.
4.      Making Hospital and Rural Health centers plans for disaster management as well as developing Standard Operating Procedures needs more care and impetus.
5.      Periodic revision of health facilities disaster management plans wherever exist, conducting of rehearsals, mock dills and simulation exercises is to be effected.
6.      Educating hospital services staff at hospitals and developing curriculum for Medical   Colleges students and students of Nursing Colleges to impart necessary education  and training has to be taken care.
7.      Integrating  local authorities, hospital administrators and community  to make hospitals safe is to be sensitized-  it is every one’s responsibility.    

What needs to be  done ?

    1. Develop a framework to ensure that making health facilities safe from   disasters is a local, state and national priority.
    2. Sensitize identification and assessment of disaster proneness of every hospital and Rural health center.
    3. Administrators of health facilities and health cervices staffs be aware to understand structural, non structural and functional  vulnerability to their hospitals to monitor the risks to make patients and themselves safe to minimize losses and damage when disasters strike.
    4. Expert and practitioners jointly came to an understanding that structural safety is an essential   part of hospital safety for disasters. It acts like the  Skelton  of the human body, supporting, non structural components as well as functional needs of a Hospitals.
    5. It was also envisioned that inter-action between  structural, non   structural is to be evaluated with equal sensitivity. It shall avoid heavy non structural damages, especially, in a situation of an earthquake.
    6. New hospitals and other health facilities should be built to withstand the impact of national disasters and should continue providing essential health services during and after emergencies. One of the such example is Bhuj Hospital which has been now built to international standards which was constricted  after the earthquake of Gujarat in year 2001
    7. Hospital disaster management plans and standard operating procedures be evolved by using a systematic approach considering the need for integrated Health Center  response. These be revised periodically and rehearsals, mock –drills and simulation exercises be conducted regularly. An emergency planning committee should be effectively functional. 
    8. Rural hospitals and Primary health centers require equal attention for developing plans and procedure as of any urban hospital and Medical colleges.
    9. Guidelines and contingency plans be made specifically to deal with mass casualty evacuation by networking and evolving methodologies to make use of international and national Mobile field hospitals, air hospitals and ship based hospitals. Mass casualty simulation dills   be carried out to assess viability of such plans.
    10. Encouraging people centric approach to make hospitals safe. Integrating initiatives of national, state and   local govt. hospitals administration and community is vital.
    11. Evolution of mechanisms for effective warning system as well as its knowledge to put emergency plans in action is important dimension of minimizing losses.
    12. Selection of one of the most vulnerable hospital  in each of 38 cities in India  which are identified highly vulnerable to earthquake by UNDP and Government of India annually for making  it resilient by every  local government and hospital administrations to  strengthen initiatives to make hospitals prepared to cope with disasters and be an example to be followed every where in the country. This process be replicated at district hospitals and primary health centers.
    13. Evolving and initiating awareness, education, and   training program modules  for sharing   knowledge by doctors who mostly remain tirelessly busy and Nursing  staff as well as students of Medical and Nursing Colleges is important component of making hospitals safe.
    14. Hospitals safety index which has been designed by PAHO containing 141 items must be on the finger tips of the health services staff and the community.
    15. Needed financial resources be allocated annually for the purpose of making health facilities safe.
    16. Key messages of the seminar are :-

 

a)      Disasters are first and foremost inclusive  health issue.
b).     It is possible to make health facilities disaster-resilience in spite of enormity of the problem
c).     The health workforce and community can be agents of disaster risk reduction to make health facilities safe.
d)      The survival and recovery of a community after a major event largely depends on the ability of health facilities to function without interruption and to cope with excess demand during a crisis.  Mitigation is therefore an essential component of health security strategies to reduce the effects of disasters which has to be ensured with continuous commitment by every one to prepare.
e)      NGOs  with competence ,commitment,  accountability and  ethical values for the mission are most useful resource to translate Hyogo Frame Work of action guidelines on hospital safety in to reality.
 f)      Environmental degradation and climate change challenges to human health have to be researched at international and national levels and supported by UNISDR and WHO.

 

The Mission to make Schools and Hospitals Safe from Disasters and Climate Change Continues by Saritsa  Foundation !!

The Team Saritsa Foundation