Hospital emergency plan

Owing to their geological, topographical, and hydrometereological characteristics, as well as their level of industrial and social development, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are exposed to the occurrence of natural disasters, such as seismic movements, volcanic eruptions, floods, hurricanes, landslides, etc. and to man-made disasters or accidents, such as fires, explosions, spills of hazardous substances, toxic gas leaks, etc. Apart from causing, in most cases, huge economic and social disruptions, such events also have a sudden and massive impact on the health status and health conditions of the exposed population, due to the occurrence of deaths and injuries, and of environmental and epidemiological changes.

If one adds to this the structural, non-structural and functional vulnerability of health facilities, the need to draw up emergency plans for hospitals is evident. These plans make it possible to protect first the hospitalized patients, the staff, and visitors, and, secondly the equipment and installations, while maintaining the ability to provide services on a larger scale than before as a consequence of the disasters. This plan should be operational, functional, and flexible so that it can adapt to circumstances. It should be familiar to the entire staff of the hospital and be reviewed and updated at least once a year.