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WHO Director General issues message on World Health Day

06 April 2009 10:36 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ilhama Isabalayeva â€“ APA. UN Department of Public Information has issued a message on April 7 - World Health Day. The department told APA that WHO is devoting World Health Day 2009 to the theme of health facilities in emergencies â€“ â€œSave lives. Make hospitals safe in emergenciesâ€ â€“ to further strengthen the imperative that health facilities must be prepared to withstand emergencies so that they can treat patients both during crises and afterwards.
WHO Director General Margaret Chan also issued a message on the World Health Day.
â€œWhen 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. 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. 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 hospitalâ€™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,â€ the message says.