Safe Hospitals

Keeping hospitals safe from disasters

Created to disseminate and promote the concept and strategy of Safe Hospital, with a comprehensive perspective, that includes not only the health sector. It explains what a safe hospital is and why it is essential to have a safe hospitals. Includes political and technical testimony which show the commitment that already exists in many countries regarding this subject, and presents examples of good practices in Latin America, breaking the myth that it is very expensive or impossible to build a hospital than can continue being operational after a disaster.

Virtual Health Library for Disasters

English, Spanish and French

An electronic collection of more than 500 public health publications on disaster reduction and complex emergencies in full text.

Countries in Crisis

4 minutos

This DVD presents the principal aspects that Latin American countries should consider in preparing for, responding to and mitigating the effects of natural disasters. It also states the primary difficulties related to the humanitarian assistance, both regarding supplies and logistical elements, and voluntary medical staff.

WHO-PAHO Guidelines for the Use of Foreign Field Hospitals in the Aftermath of Sudden-Impact Disasters

Experience has shown that in the case of natural disasters field hospitals often have not met the expectations of recipients and donor institutions. These guidelines identify different phases when foreign field hospitals and specialized medical personnel are most useful. They propose conditions that field hospitals and their staff should meet and outline issues that authorities in donor countries and disaster-affected countries should discuss before mobilizing a field hospital.

Volcanoes and the Protection of Health

This CD provides images of volcanic eruptions, expert opinions, technical and scientific information, as well as lessons learned from past emergencies to illustrate the principal health risks from volcanic eruptions and basic measures to reduce the potential threats. It comes accompanied by a teaching guide with the most important technical aspects presented in the video and is divided into two parts and with a total duration of 36 minutes.