Message of Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific
Manila, 14 October 2009--Today, the United Nations and its national and nongovernmental partners are observing the International Day for Disaster Reduction, with an emphasis on making "Hospitals Safe from Disasters." The observance coincides with the culmination of the two-year World Disaster Reduction campaign based on the same theme and organized by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, WHO and the World Bank.
In the past three weeks, the Western Pacific Region has endured a series of calamities in Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Philippines and Viet Nam that caused more than 1000 deaths and extensive damage to property and infrastructure. The rain, wind and severe floods brought by typhoons Ketsana and Parma damaged more than 250 health facilities in the Philippines and Viet Nam, incurring damages of more than US$ 344 million. Indeed, reports are still coming in about damaged hospitals, destroyed medical equipment, and lost medicines and supplies.
Anyone can easily picture a health worker diligently doing his or her work: caring for patients; providing prenatal care; and immunizing children. That work went on even as the typhoons devastated our communities. How helpless these health workers must have felt as flood waters surged, knowing limited essential medicines might be washed away and essential equipment—from refrigerators that held vaccines to blood pressure gauges—might also might be destroyed. These health workers tried to save as much as they could, but as the waters reached the ceilings they had no choice but save their own lives.
The images speak for themselves. Newspapers and Internet sites are full of photographs, videos and stories of hospitals flooded, roofs blown away and the first-hand experiences of doctors, nurses and patients during these typhoons. As response and recovery efforts continue, we can clearly see that damage to the health sector increases the health risks in our communities. Diseases are not prevented, illnesses are not properly managed, and more lives may be lost. These images have brought our cause—Hospitals Safe from Disasters—closer to the people. It is an opportunity to advocate disaster risk reduction in health facilities to policy-makers, health professionals and the public.
Today, we once again emphasize the urgent need to protect health facilities in order to save lives and reduce health risks in emergencies. Investing in strong health systems is a vital part of disaster risk reduction. Health facilities must be located, designed and constructed with risk management in view. Health staff must be trained so that they can respond effectively in emergencies. National and local governments, health partners and the private sector must work together so we can achieve these goals.
Work has been started. The Western Pacific Region has produced resources for hospital assessment and the training of health administrators, emergency managers and policy-makers. Design and construction guides are being prepared. Advocacy campaigns and training have been organized in order to promote the message to government officials and the public. In this International Day for Disaster Reduction, we renew our call for the development of policies and for a partnership among all sectors in order to make health facilities safe in emergencies and disasters.
We do not want families to suffer with illnesses just because health centres are closed. We do not want mothers to face the risk of giving birth in unsafe places because there is no equipment in health facilities. We do not want hospitals to limit their services because health professionals were injured or cannot report for work. We want patients to be referred to proper centres and managed effectively. These goals are possible if we all work together.
We must continue our work. Reduce risk! Protect health facilities! Save lives!