(A234) Disasters as an Opportunity to Train and Prepare for Future Disasters

Abstract

Asian tsunami in 2004 had a tremendous impact on the health system of Sri Lanka leaving many healthcare institutions damaged in the costal provinces and destabilizing the healthcare delivery network. Immediately after the tsunami, health authorities in Sri Lanka realized, health workers should be prepared well if they are to face any future disasters successfully. In this background, the Ministry of Health set its agenda to train all levels of health cadres on disaster preparedness and mitigation whenever there are opportunities. Ministry of Health established the Tsunami Rehabilitation Unit (TRU), later renamed as Disaster Preparedness and Response Unit (DPRU) and mandated it to prepare the health sector for future disasters. During a disaster, well trained health cadre is an asset to any health manager facing the burden of the emergency at the ground level. Trained health personnel on disaster management become a human resource multiplier to fill the gaps of scarce skilled health staff in the field operations. We reviewed the Ministry of Health reports, plans, meeting minutes, reports of training institutions, routine reporting from Ministry of Health departments and reports from health sector partners to compile and then analyze to construct this case study. We provide an overview of how DPRU coordinated and used the opportunities following Tsunami 2004 and then during the humanitarian crisis at the end of 30 years of armed conflict in 2009 to train the health staff. This case study also describes how DPRU networked with government and non governmental organizations to train the different categories of government health staff.