by Divvy Kant Upadhyay, Manipal
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi/Manipal (GA)
Udupi, Apr 7: The rapidly deteriorating global scenario of ‘peace’ has perhaps prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to celebrate its annual World Health Day this year with the theme of ‘Health facilities in Emergencies’.
Terrorist strikes across the world have left entire system struggling for better and efficient response strategies. Be it the strikes on hideouts in Palestine, the restaurants in Israel, the mosques of Pakistan, the market places or posh 5-star Hotels of India or the railways in Mumbai, London or Madrid, terror is leaving its footprints everywhere and its threat looms large in the psyche of the population at large – be it the common man who uses the daily public transport systems or soldiers guarding borders. If this was not enough, new terror- strategies like the one executed in Ahmedabad where the casualty section of a busy civil hospital was blown up with deadly timing immediately after serial blasts in the city only adds to the chaos and devastation. Perhaps that is why a part of the motto of the WHO hopes that the world will 'make hospitals safe for emergencies.'
“When 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,” says Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Margaret Chan in her statement issued for the World Health Day 2009.
Apart from terror strikes, natural and man-made calamities also demand efficient and quick response emergency medical services. Be it the floods in Bihar, the earthquakes in J&K or the Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, emergency medical services proved to be crucial in restoration of life and limb. Road traffic accidents are another unfortunate reason that demands emergency and timely medical attention.
Dr Chan highlights that the tragedy of a major emergency or disaster gets 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” states a concerned Dr Chan.
Addressing the concerns of the people during natural calamities, Dr Chan says that 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.
Though several hundred NGOs and Emergency response teams work tirelessly day and night 24/7 in our nation, India still needs to go a long way to provide emergency response services sufficient for its 1.2 billion citizens.