Disaster Management in Health - Assignment Example

Activity 1 The concept of disaster itself is far-reaching and widespread because of the extent to which a phenomenon characterized as ‘disaster’ possesses the ability to impact life as a whole. However, from a community context it can be established that disaster relates to a severe disruption of societal life whereby, sustained losses in varied spheres of human life can create a scenario in which the requirement of facilities and resources to revive the possibility of individual sustenance surpasses the supply of the required resources. 2. a) Reuters (2014) reports that a deadly landslide in Nepal has led to the displacement of 130 residents while, 8 people have been reported dead because of the incident. The disaster which struck the country’s Sindhupalchowk district has severely impacted the social, environmental and economic situation of the individuals who belong to the area in addition with the foreign tourists as more than 500 of the latter have been evacuated. Other concerns regarding the scenario have surfaced as a result of other associated consequences including the possibility of flooding in neighboring country, India. b) The outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa which has now spread to Nigeria looms as a persistent threat in the continent because of the severe consequences of the disease. Mazen (2014) reports that with the possibility of the virus spreading to Lagos, health authorities must remain vigilant and design an effective and comprehensive framework to cope with the outbreak. c) The continent of Asia experienced the most damaging economic consequences by experiencing a natural disaster in 2013 – Typhoon Haiyan reportedly resulted in the displacement and death of over 8000 individuals across multiple nations in Asia while, contributing towards an overall economic loss exceeding $10 billion dollars. This disaster can be classified as severely damaging because of its far-reaching impact, large scale and the need to immediately and effectively rehabilitate residents and families which were able to survive the event. Activity 1.2 1) Disasters are defined as a ‘social phenomenon’ because their implications and consequences cannot be limited or restricted to a single effect or incident. In fact, when gauging the impact of a disaster in a specific location or area, respondents have to take into account the social system and development of the affected location because it cannot be held as an unrelated variable. 2) Traditional techniques and approaches in the management of disaster have been characterized by the application of outdated beliefs which do not possess any credibility when integrated within the larger framework of disaster health management and practices. These understandings are not only linked with the psychological implications of disaster but also reflect upon the strategies for managing the provision of basic necessities to survivors. For example, it was previously believed that the provision of food should be restricted or even stopped in case a child is suffering from diarrhea however; the reevaluation of this belief has allowed the development of a comprehension that nutrition is indispensible and its scarcity can even lead to the death of a child if he/she is already severely malnourished (World Health Organization). Addressing the concerns of resource poor society in this case and their responses and understanding of disaster it is important to state that the recognition of disaster as a social phenomenon implies that each and every community, area and location must be rehabilitated by following their scenario and social situation as a whole. For instance, if a disaster strikes a nation which already possesses limited resources the mobility and availability of resources must be recognized as a top priority because of lack of supply and management skills. Activity 1.3 a) By applying the definitions of disaster which have been provided by the United Nations and other agencies it can be declared that the Swine Flu epidemic which hit in 2009 was a disaster because it emerged as a social phenomenon that triggered economic and social consequences for the individuals that were involved in it. However, by applying the framework of disaster response agencies such as Centre for Research on Epidemiology on Disasters (CRED) it can be suggested that since the outbreak did not call for an international assistance on the part of the United States, it was not a disaster. b) According to the methodology designed by Below, Wirtz and Guha-Sapir (2009), a disaster classification and influence is focused upon multiple factors. Nonetheless, for promoting the effective management of the disaster it is important to understand its classifications and categorization which are a direct result of external aspects and influences. For example, in one case a disaster can be applied within the context of wider group which is also known as a generic group. This allows agencies to develop a specific criterion for each separate event. Henceforth, as the subtypes for each classification are eventually interlinked the overall conclusions regarding course of action can be derived successfully. Activity 1.4 a) The consequences of climate change and a possible modification in the Earth’s temperature has most likely triggered a change in the pattern and frequency of disasters. However, the viability and certification of this claim can be challenged on a scientific level due to the presence of multiple ideas on the true impact of climate change. Nonetheless, a report produced by Smith and Katz (2013) claims that the incidence of weather and climate-related disasters has been consistently rising to an extent where their scale of destruction and the economic loss triggered by them often reaches and exceeds the figures of billions of dollars. b) According to the research presented by Guha-Sapir et al. (2009) the primary reason behind an increase in disasters is that they have been triggered by the emergence of volatile and often extreme weather conditions across the globe. These conditions have contributed towards a rise in a greater number of disasters and conditions that are associated with climatic factors (Guha-Sapir et al., 2009). Activity 1.5 a) The most immediate and prevalent psychological reactions to disaster as they have been presented by Emergency Management Australia (2002) comprise of fear of disaster and future possibilities, confusion, shock, despair, sorrow and vulnerability. These reactions are most likely to translate into psychological issues which are expected to be experienced by the people who have been affected; these issues include abnormality in sleep patterns, depression, anxiety and even rejection of reality. Activity 1.6 a) Effective and timely disaster management comprises of understanding the gravity of the scenario and realizing that the provision of utmost assistance is the dire need of the situation. Henceforth, any action that is based towards successfully reacting towards the emergency must comprise of a tactical plan to cope with the same. In this regard there are certain principles which are associated with disaster and emergency management that should be followed. These principles comprise of: 1) Comprehensiveness of frameworks and models: This aspect implies that any immediate disaster and emergency management plan should take into account both internal and external factors of the issue such that it should focus on addressing multiple problems at the same time and providing resolutions. 2) Integration of key factors: Any disaster management model cannot be completed unless it realizes and recognizes the relevance of a consolidated effort towards rehabilitation on the part of the government, rescue agencies and the communities involved. 3) Exercising professionalism: Any course of action that is described for future reference should be linked with the adoption and integration of experience, skills and knowledge that disaster managers and professionals have acquired over a period of time. 4) Understanding the significance of collaboration: The effort towards rehabilitation should be characterized by cooperation and successfully making use of the expertise of each external actor to successfully reach goals and objectives. 5) Adoption of risk-management principles: The practical implementation of all the necessary techniques to calculate and assess risk should be conducted. Activity 1.7 a) Environmental legislations and provisions with reference to disasters in India comprise of granting the affected individuals with the right to protect and promote their rights as citizens of the state given the scenario. According to Gupta and Nair (2012), disaster management in the country is expected to meet the outlined criterion for to ensure environmental protection and in this regard the legislation engages all governmental bodies and public divisions to cooperate and coordinate in a natural disaster crisis and work towards the rehabilitation of people. b) Legal protection issues in case of disaster management must be provided and granted by the governmental bodies of the jurisdiction where the incident has occurred henceforth, comprehensive and complete coverage should be provided under all circumstances. Activity 1.8 The welcoming and acceptance of external assistance in case of a disaster increases the chances of successfully coping with the issue and recovering from it as soon as possible. In this case, the acceptance of external assistance also falls under the principle of cooperating and coordinating so it should be welcomed. Activity 2.2 a) The presence of uncertainty in the management of non-routine task implies that communities should be readily prepared for any uncalled for scenarios that were not or least expected. This notion requires for the establishment of alternative mechanisms whereby, the standard routines and patterns should be ignored to meet present objectives. The idea is therefore, to move beyond conventional techniques and individually assess each risk and outline its characteristics to ascertain the viability of options and possible solutions. Activity 2.3 1. The core competencies of a disaster plan includes that it must follow a pattern which is able to identify the reality of the event and the incident thereby, outlining the necessities of the same. Accordingly, a smooth and central chain of command which passes orders to each member of a team should be recognized such that the orders are passed successfully and are implemented accordingly. However, the development of a chain of command in the plan cannot be successful unless each person is aware of his/her roles. Henceforth, this issue must be understood and realized as a core component of the plan. This also points towards the need for team building and effective team work. At the same time the plan should also call for understanding the consequences of possible scenarios for which the team is not prepared or underprepared. This would be the emergency scenario and should be dealt with according to the prospects of disaster management principles. 2) The most important element of disaster planning falls under the category of cooperation and coordination. The movement of effective team work and the execution of activities upon order is the most crucial element of a disaster plan and it coincides with the concept of preparedness, when assuming the role of risk management techniques and approaches in disaster management. It can also be recognized that preparedness is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of a specific course of action as guided in the plan. Activity 2.4 1) Preparedness is a subcomponent of planning the prospects of disaster and understanding the future consequences of a possible occurrence. However, for a community to be prepared it is important to establish guidelines regarding potential risks, identify the sources of the risks and develop strategies to mitigate the risk. Activity 3.1 1. The methodologies for incident analysis are comprehensive and in this case the suggested approach to follow is to ascertain which technique would work the best in the given situation. These components are identified as; root cause analysis, developing the event tree and tracing the occurrence of event to sources. Activity 3.2 1. The command of incident followed in my community is based on developing cause/consequence relationships and basing course of action on the identification of sources and the possibility of present and future outcomes. Activity 3.3 1. An incident command system allows agencies to cohesively understand the occurrence of an event and develop a framework for successfully coordinating activities. In this procedure a chain of command must be established to pass orders and their implementation should be prioritized according to the defined emergency tasks. 2. The Hajj is an annual gathering of Muslims which occurs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To accommodate the large number of members of the Muslim community which arrive in the country to participate in the pilgrimage the country has set up a greater number of emergency service teams and controlled the influx of individuals by implementing an annual quota from each country. Once the pilgrims arrive they are expected to stay in groups representing their country for easier administration and identification. 3. Foreign medical teams should be granted with complete assurance from both governments regarding the fulfillment of safety criterions and departure from country in case of unforeseeable emergency. Activity 4.1 1. A community recovery plan should focus on social and economic rehabilitation through the provision of psychological counselling and rehabilitation opportunities. In the aftermath of the disaster this strategy could prove to be highly effective. 2. All professionals must act ethically when participating in a venture planned and organized for the management of disasters. Ethical considerations in this case involve mass burial of dead bodies, respect of religious and social wishes of community, administration of health services and deciding the priority of emergency or medical health provision when resources are scarce or limited in quantity. \ References Below, R. Wirtz, A. & Guha-Sapir, D. (2009). Disaster Category Classification and Peril Terminology for Operational Purposes. Emergency Management Australia (2002). Manual Recovery. EM. Retrieved from Guha-Sapir D, Vos F, Below R, with Ponserre S. (2012). Annual Statistical Report for 2012 from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). Gupta, A. K., & Nair, S. S. (2012). Environmental Legislation for Disaster Risk Management, Module-I. Environmental Knowledge for Disaster Risk Management Project, National Institute of Disaster Management & Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, New Delhi, 68. Mazen, M. (2014). Nigeria Braces for More Ebola Cases Amid Outbreak. TIME. Retrieved from Sharma, G. (2014). More than 500 foreign hikers rescued after deadly landslide in Nepal. Reuters. Retrieved from Smith, A. B., & Katz, R. W. (2013). US billion-dollar weather and climate disasters: data sources, trends, accuracy and biases. Natural hazards, 67(2), 387-410. World Health Organization. Examine the WHO site “Myths and realities in disaster situations”. WHO Retrieved from Read More