Assessment of disaster preparedness and response in Tanzanian Regional Hospitals.

Abstract

Background A disaster is defined by the World Health Organization as ―a serious disruption of the functioning of a community that exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.‖ Healthcare facilities are critical in responding to disasters, but disasters have potential to overwhelm facility and human resources. Aim To assess the current state of disaster preparedness and response in Tanzanian regional hospitals. Materials and Methods This is a descriptive cross sectional study using a structured questionnaire based on WHO defined essential data. Results All 25 regional hospitals in Tanzania were surveyed. Ninety two percent of regional hospitals reported experiencing a disaster in the past five years. The most common disasters were due to large motor vehicle accident (80%) and floods (24%). A majority of the hospitals had a disaster committee (60%), but only 36% had a disaster plan. Disaster planning, personnel and equipment resources varied greatly among regional hospitals. Conclusions Regional hospitals in Tanzania experience disasters secondary to large motor traffic accidents, floods, bomb explosions and infection outbreaks. The survey found hospital preparedness was at an early stage of development. The results of this study suggest important opportunities to better prepare regional hospitals to respond to disasters. Particular gaps include inadequate surge capacity, lack of disaster planning, inadequate personnel, shortage of equipments, and lack of contingency communication systems.