Articles

3.6.1.Organization of the ministry of health and its incorporation in the PDNA process and in reconstruction planning

When a country is affected by a disaster, the ministry of health should, from the beginning, take a very active role on reconstruction committees or councils. The definition of needs should be solidly based on the assessment of damage, losses, and the strategic approach that health authorities wish to promote to recover and improve physical infrastructure, equipment, and the operation of services affected by the disaster.

According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), in 2010 alone there were 385 disasters, with over 297,000 fatalities, more than 217 million people affected. Total damage was estimated at US$123.9 billion. The Region of the Americas experienced 98 disasters in the course of the year, with more than 225,000 fatalities, some 13 million people affected, and economic losses of US$49.188 million.

According to data on the health sector provided by the PAHO/WHO Member States, 67% of the Region’s 18,000 hospitals are located in areas of disaster risk. In the last decade, nearly 24 million people in the Americas were without health care for months, and sometimes years, due to damages caused directly by disasters.