"MAKE HOSPITALS SAFE IN EMERGENCIES"
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02:07 pm | April 06, 2009
Official
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued a message on
the occasion of World Health Day which says in part:
When disaster strikes, well-prepared, functioning medical services
are a priority. Floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters can
take a terrible toll on human life. So, too, can infectious disease
outbreaks and man-made disasters, such as chemical spills or radiation
accidents. Hospitals, clinics and other health facilities must react
swiftly and efficiently. They must also provide safe havens, and not
become disaster zones themselves.
When a hospital collapses in an earthquake, burying patients and staff,
the human cost multiplies. When an infectious disease spreads because
a hospital is poorly ventilated or constructed, or because health
care workers lack adequate training, we are failing people at their
most vulnerable.
To focus attention on these simple but important principles, World
Health Day for 2009 has adopted the campaign slogan: "Save lives. Make
hospitals safe in emergencies". It is a global call to action for
countries to work to prepare their health systems for emergencies.
Collaboration between different United Nations entities and other
international actors is crucial to helping countries to achieve this
goal. The World Disaster Reduction Campaign for 2008-2009 has pooled
the efforts of the World Health Organization, the UN International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the World Bank towards making
health facilities more able to stand up to cyclones, earthquakes and
other hazards.
We must protect public health by designing and building health care
facilities that are safe from natural disasters. We must also ensure
they are not targeted during conflicts. Health care workers must
be trained to work safely in emergencies, so they can save lives,
rather than becoming victims themselves. And we must guarantee the
continuity of the health services that a community relies on, such as
immunizations, dialysis and the delivery of babies, once the immediate
emergency has passed.
We cannot prevent all disasters. But we can work together to ensure
that when they occur, hospitals and other health facilities are ready
and able to save lives.