Many of us may not have been aware of the tropical depressions that caused floods and tidal surges in some of the island nations of the South Pacific in December 2008. These emergencies left tens of thousands of people homeless. Houses, roads, bridges, crops, and livelihoods were destroyed.
The rain and floods made health facilities inaccessible. Many of them stopped functioning because of interruptions in power supplies, damaged water and waste-management systems, and other problems. Many health care workers were not able to report to work, and were unable to take care of the injured and the sick or to perform necessary public health roles.
As bad as that situation was, typhoons can be much more destructive than what happened in the Pacific. When they strike, hospitals can be wrecked, with flooded grounds and medical equipment destroyed. Health personnel are sometimes injured.
And the Western Pacific Region doesn't just have typhoons. We have earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, landslides, and more. On top of that there is armed conflict, and political and social upheaval.
The China earthquake in May 2008 destroyed more than half of the 6 800 health facilities. In the Philippines, during Typhoon Fengshen in June 2008, 89 hospitals and health facilities were damaged or destroyed. In August of the same year, Typhoon Kammuri flooded, damaged or destroyed 61 health facilities and hospitals in Viet Nam.
This is why this year's World Health Day is devoted to the subject of making hospitals and other health facilities safe in emergencies. It is a timely topic in a world where natural and man-generated disasters are increasing.
People are beginning to understand that in disasters and emergencies, health facilities are crucial to survival. They must be structurally resilient, well equipped, and with health workers who are properly trained to respond. A safe hospital is a refuge and a beacon of hope in disasters, when people are often seized by confusion and fear.
Our experience in the past few years shows that ensuring hospital safety in disasters is relatively easy to implement and cost-effective. Technical guidelines are available to help with retrofitting, planning, and construction of health facilities that can withstand disasters. Managers and administrators can use a simple checklist without the help of engineers or architects.
Studies have shown that damage to health facilities can cost up to 60% of annual government health spending, so making facilities safe in the first place can sometimes be a means of actually saving money. Political will on the part of governments, leaders and hospital administrators is an important element in achieving this goal. They can ensure that hospitals are built in safe locations, that the design and construction of the facilities are sound and that staff are fully trained.
People have a right to health, and part of that is the right to be safe during disasters and emergencies.