Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives

Why focus on making hospitals safe from disaster? Economics: the cost of hospital failure during disasters is too high, particularly for developing countries Health and development: We need disaster resilient hospitals, health facilities and health workers to save lives during disasters, and to reach the Millennium Development Goals Social and political demands: Protecting hospitals and health facilities is a moral and political obligation

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives The economic case: the price of hospital failure

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives When hospitals do not function during disasters, lives are lost needlessly. Long-term impact of the loss of public health services on the Millennium Development Goals are even greater than the impact of delayed treatment of the injured Disasters can wipe out huge swathes of the health systems in developing countries or vulnerable regions, compromising the MDGs The health case: safe hospitals for public health and development

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives The social and political case: much to lose, much to gain Public confidence in all levels of the United States government dropped after perceived inadequacies of the authorities readiness and response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans – during which the country witnessed the recovery of 44 dead bodies from an abandoned and damaged hospital. Approval ratings for the President of Peru rose five points on public perception of effective government handling of the Peruvian earthquake of The Peruvian Government indicated that hospital needs were covered one week after the quake

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives Campaign Focus: Safe Structures The cost of protection is negligible when included in the design stage. The later in the process, the more expensive it becomes Building codes, and investment in new hospitals and health facilities, are clear targets for advocacy

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives Campaign Focus: Functioning facilities Functional collapse, not structural damage, is the usual reason for hospitals being put out of service during disasters Protecting the non-structural contents of most hospitals will cost only around 1% of the cost of the whole facility, while protecting up to 90% of its value

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives Campaign focus: Prepared staff Hospital failure and health system disruption during disasters is just as often due to system overload and a lack of contingency planning than physical failure Contingency planning and staff training is just as important as physical protection, and costs less

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives What governments and legislators can do Take a leadership position make this a national priority Create a framework in which all sectors and government levels can help make hospitals and health facilities resistant to natural hazards Draft, pass and enforce legislation on building codes to ensure safe hospitals

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives What local governments can do Take stock of existing hospitals, health facilities and number of employed health workers in their own territory Assess the current level of preparedness resilience of health infrastructure, facilities, as well as staff capacity Take the necessary actions at the local level to increase such level of capacity, raise awareness and promote DRR investment at the local level

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives What universities, schools and experts can do Develop courses on hospital safety for university and professional curricula Act as repositories of specialized expertise Publish articles for scientific and technical publications and journals Contribute to the development and periodic review of national building standards

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives Key Messages Disasters are a health and development issue Protecting critical health facilities from disasters is not just possible, but cost effective Health workers are crucial agents of disaster risk reduction The most expensive hospital is the one that fails!

Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives For more information please visit: Join the Health and Disaster Risk Reduction Network for this Campaign at: