World Heath Day on the safety of heath facilities

More than 11 000 medical institutions were damaged in China's Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008, forcing tens of thousands of people to seek treatment elsewhere. In line with the World Disaster Reduction Campaign: "Hospitals safe from disasters" launched in 2007 together with the UNISDR and the World Bank, WHO dedicates its World Health Day 2009 to "Make hospitals safe in emergencies".

On that day, 7 April 2009, many events will be organized around the world, with the global launch taking place in Beijing, China, with the WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan in attendance. WHO advocates for safe facility design and construction and for the continuation of health care during emergencies. It also urges strengthening of emergency preparedness capacities to save lives and improve global health. The issue of heath safety will be further discussed during the next session of the Global platform on Disaster Risk Reduction which will take place in Geneva next June 2009.
 






For more information about the WHO Heath Day, videos, PSA and activities please see:



www.who.int/world-healthday/2009/en and http://www.youtube.com/who. For more on the joint UNISDR WHO and World Bank campaign "Hospitals Safe From Disasters: Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives" consult: www.safehospitals.info