WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
When disaster strikes, most lives are lost or saved in the immediate aftermath of the event, depending on the ability of health systems to provide lifesaving services quickly and efficiently. Large numbers of victims can quickly overwhelm local emergency medical services.
That’s why health care professionals in Tajikistan took part in an extensive disaster preparedness project. The 18-month project that ended in November 2013 was coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) with support from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Directorate General (ECHO) and its disaster preparedness program, more commonly known as DIPECHO.
The project aimed to enhance the capacity of the Tajik government to reduce the impact of mass-casualty incidents (MCI) by better managing victims. It involved more than 475 medical professionals and rescuers.
The project also procured 20 trauma kits for nine pilot hospitals, and the WHO ordered another 40 medical first responder MCI medical kits for places such as fire stations.
An MCI is defined as an event that generates more patients than locally available resources can manage using routine procedures. It requires exceptional emergency arrangements and additional or extraordinary assistance. A well-planned and practiced mass-casualty management system is based on an all-hazards approach, focusing on the need to provide lifesaving care to the injured.
This system increases disaster readiness, reducing overall risk to the population and health system. This has been accomplished in Tajikistan through an integrated disaster/emergency planning process involving the Ministry of Health, Committee of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.