Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T06:16:21.369Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Study of Hospital Disaster Preparedness in South Yemen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2018

Waheeb Nasr Naser*
Affiliation:
King Khalid Hospital Najran, Najran, Saudi Arabia
Pier Luigi Ingrassia
Affiliation:
CRIMEDIM, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Salem Aladhrae
Affiliation:
Security Forces Hospital Makkah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Wegdan Ali Abdulraheem
Affiliation:
Al-Joumhuriyah Teaching Hospital, Aden, Yemen
*
Correspondence: Waheeb Nasr Naser, MD, JBEM, EMDM King Khalid Hospital Najran Najran, Saudi Arabia E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Introduction

Despite emphasis by disaster experts on the importance of disaster preparedness, disaster management in Yemen has attracted only a little attention. Most of the efforts have focused on post-disaster relief activities rather than the pre-disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Hospitals have a crucial role in emergency response and should be prepared. Thus, the aim of this study was intended to assess the hospital preparedness of Aden Capital, South Yemen against disasters.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2016. The sample was all Aden City facilities with a total number of 10 hospitals: five public and five private hospitals. A survey was done by using the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) standards checklist 2011.

Results

The overall preparedness of Aden City hospitals to disasters fell at the unacceptable level of readiness, with an average mean of 46.6 (SD = 38.31; range 24-82). Of 10 hospitals, two ranked insufficient while eight hospitals were at unacceptable levels of preparedness.

Conclusion

All hospitals were noted grossly unprepared for potential disasters. Therefore, it is recommended that greater efforts be invested in creating a comprehensive strategy and national or local guidelines to establish an emergency management system based on the anticipated hazard and the needed resources.

NaserWN, IngrassiaPL, AladhraeS, AbdulraheemWA. A Study of Hospital Disaster Preparedness in South Yemen. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):133–138.

Type
Original Research
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: none

References

1. Prevention web. Annual disaster statistical review 2015: the numbers and trends. http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ADSR_2015.pdf. Accessed August 3, 2016.Google Scholar
2. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. Assessment of health-system crisis preparedness: Israel. Copenhagen, Denmark. 2012. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/174837/Assessment-of-Health-System-Crisis-Preparedness-Israel.pdf?ua=1. Accessed July 15, 2016.Google Scholar
3. United Nations Program for Development India. Guidelines for Hospital Emergency Preparedness Planning. GOI-UNDP DRM Programme (2002-2008). http://asdma.gov.in/pdf/publication/undp/guidelines_hospital_emergency.pdf. Accessed July 18, 2016.Google Scholar
4. World Bank Group. Climate Portal. Yemen Dashboard Natural Hazards 2016. http://sdwebx.worldbank.org/climateportalb/home.cfm?page=country_profile&CCode=YEM&ThisTab=NaturalHazards. Accessed July 26, 2016.Google Scholar
5. Earthquake Track. Recent Earthquakes near Gulf of Aden 2016. http://earthquaketrack.com/r/gulf-of-aden/recent. Accessed July, 26 2016.Google Scholar
6. Relief web. Disasters. Tropical Cyclone Megh/Chapala Nov 2015. http://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2015-000152-yem. Accessed July 30, 2016.Google Scholar
7. World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Yemen Crisis. Health facility-based reported deaths and injuries 19 March-16 Oct. 2015. http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/yemen/YEM-casualties-october2015.pdf?ua=1. Accessed September 7, 2016.Google Scholar
8. Health in Yemen. Wikipedia website. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Yemen. Accessed October 3, 2016.Google Scholar
9. World Health Organization. Yemen. Statistics 2014. http://www.who.int/countries/yem/en/. Accessed October 3, 2016.Google Scholar
10. World Health Organization. Regional Health Systems Observatory. 2006. Health Systems Profile-Yemen. http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/documents/s17314e/s17314e.pdf. Accessed October 3, 2016.Google Scholar
11. Al-Serouri, A, Øvretveit, J, Al-Mudhwahi, AA, Al-Gonaid, MY. Strengthening Health Systems in Yemen: Review of Evidence and Implications for Effective Actions for the Poor. Health Management - Different Approaches and Solutions. http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/24993.pdf. Accessed October 9, 2016.Google Scholar
12. Al-Waly, A. A final report of the organization activity during the War 2015. A paper presented at the third monthly meeting of the Higher Medical Public Committee: Aden, Yemen; August 20, 2015.Google Scholar
13. Djalali, A, Ali, A, Gunnar, O, et al. Nonstructural safety of hospitals for disasters: a comparison between two capital cities. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2014;8(2):179-184.Google Scholar
14. Ingrassia, PL, Mangini, M, Azzaretto, M, et al. Hospital disaster preparedness in Italy: a preliminary study utilizing the World Health Organization Hospital Emergency Response Evaluation Toolkit. Minerva Anestesiol. 2016;82(12):1259-1266.Google Scholar
15. Aladhrai, SA, Corte, FD, Dejalali, A, et al. An impact of the 2011 revolution on hospital disaster preparedness in Yemen. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2015;9(4):396-402.Google Scholar
16. Sorensen, BS, Zane, RD, et al. Hospital Emergency Response Checklist: An All-Hazards Tool for Hospital Administrators and Emergency Managers. Copenhagen, Denmark: 2011. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/148214/e95978.pdf?ua=1. Accessed July 22, 2016.Google Scholar
17. Sobhani, G, Khammarnia, M, Hayati, R, et al. Investigation of the preparedness level of the hospitals against disasters in Bandar Abbas, Iran, 2012. J Pakistan Med Assoc. 2014;64(5):506-509.Google Scholar
18. Kollek, D, Cwinn, AA. Hospital emergency readiness overview study 2001. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(3):159-165.Google Scholar
19. Top, M, Gider, Ö, Taş, Y. An investigation of hospital disaster preparedness in Turkey. J Homeland Sec Emerg Manag. 2010;7(1):article 69.Google Scholar
20. Nekoei-Moghadam, M, Kurland, L, Moosazadeh, M, et al. Tools and checklists used for the evaluation of hospital disaster preparedness: a systematic review 2016. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016;1(5):1-8.Google Scholar
21. Mahdaviazad, H, Abdollahifard, G. Assessing hospital disaster preparedness in Shiraz, Iran 2011: teaching versus private hospitals. Am J Disaster Med. 2013;8(1):65-73.Google Scholar
22. Krajewski, M, Sztajnkrycer, M, Báez, A. Hospital disaster preparedness in the United States: new issues, new challenges. Internet Journal of Rescue and Disaster Medicine. 2004;4(2).Google Scholar
23. Yarmohammadian, M, Atighachian, G, Shams, L, et al. Are hospitals ready to response to disasters? Challenges, opportunities, and strategies of Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS). J Res Med Sci. 2011;16(8):1070-1077.Google Scholar
24. Lynn, M, Gurr, D, Memon, A, et al. Management of conventional mass casualty incidents: ten commandments for hospital planning. J Burn Care Res. 2006;27(5):649-658.Google Scholar
25. Ozilio, KN, Pam, IC, Yiltok, SJ, et al. Challenges of the management of mass casualty: lessons learned from the Jos crisis of 2001. World J Emerg Surg. 2013;8(1):44.Google Scholar
26. Christian, MD, Farmer, JC, Young, BP. Fundamental Disaster Management. Disaster Triage and Allocation of Scarce Resources. Mount Prospect, Illinois USA: Society of Critical Care Medicine, USA; 2009; 13.1.Google Scholar
27. Kelen, GD, McCarthy, ML, Kraus, CK, et al. Creation of surge capacity by early discharge of hospitalized patients at low risk for untoward events. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(2):10-16.Google Scholar
28. Kirsch, TD, Reiser, MJ, Bissell, R, et al. Impact on hospital functions following the 2010 Chilean earthquake. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2010;4(2):122-128.Google Scholar
29. Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Country profile. Yemen 2015. https://www.gfdrr.org/sites/default/files/publication/country-profile-2016-yemen.pdf. Accessed December 25, 2016.Google Scholar
30. Rep. of Yemen, Ministry of Interior. Supreme Council of Civil Defense. Disaster management Unit. National Emergency Plan 2006. Sana’a, Yemen.Google Scholar