The Department of Hospital Administration, AIIMS and Geohazards Society in collaboration with the Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir, WHO is organising a three day workshop on ´Earthquake Safety of Hospitals‘ at Jammu from 21st to 23rd December 2009 at Hari Niwas, Jammu. The programme was inaugurated by the Hon. Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Shri. Omar Abdullah. Gen. N.C.Vij, Vice Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority, Lt. Gen J R Bhardwaj, Member, NDMA, Dr. Shakti Kumar Gupta, HoD, Hospital Administration, AIIMS, Dr.CVR Murty, IIT Hyderabad and HariKumar, GeoHazards Society, attended the inaugural function on 21st December evening.
A hospital safety manual ´Reducing Earthquake Risks in Hospitals from Equipment, Contents, Architectural Elements and Building Utility Systems‘ developed by GeoHazards International and GeoHazards Society, India with support from Swiss Re and NDMA was released by the Honorable Chief Minister on the occasion. Releasing the manual Chief Minister said that we have to be prepared for the worst case scenario which will improve our response to any disaster. He commended the team for binging out the manual. Many international and national experts have taken part in the development of the manual which is a comprehensive guide that will help hospital administrators reduce the earthquake risk to their hospitals, particularly in identifying and mitigating hazards in various parts of the hospitals including ICUs, Operation theatres and other critical areas. The manual was developed as part of Swiss Re‘s ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility programme in India, which is based on its the commitment to offer its expertise in natural catastrophe risk management to preserve lives.
The workshop in Jammu, four years after the disastrous earthquake is aimed to generate awareness on the steps that can be taken by the hospital administrations to be prepared immediately and also on the long term steps that will reduce the risks to their hospitals in future. This will be one of the first steps in bringing about a culture of hospital safety in the State.
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