Save lives: make hospitals safe in emergencies
Regional health forum – volume 13, number 1, 2009: special issue, world health day 2009:
The first five articles in this edition are based on the theme of World Health Day 2009: Health Facilities in Emergencies. The articles address various issues such as: methodologies for assessing structural and non-structural vulnerability of health facilities; community involvement and multi-stakeholder participation; health workforce preparedness; and the critical role of primary health care in disaster risk reduction.
The last article elaborates the link between disaster risk reduction and primary health care. It discusses the impact that disasters and emergencies have on the health systems. It also provides examples to show that investments made in primary health care help provide better response and thereby protect the health of people during disasters.