A Study of Hospital Disaster Preparedness in South Yemen

Abstract Introduction Despite emphasis by disaster experts on the importance of disaster preparedness, disaster management in Yemen has attracted only a little attention. Most of the efforts have focused on post-disaster relief activities rather than the pre-disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Hospitals have a crucial role in emergency response and should be prepared. Thus, the aim of this study was intended to assess the hospital preparedness of Aden Capital, South Yemen against disasters. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2016. The sample was all Aden City facilities with a total number of 10 hospitals: five public and five private hospitals. A survey was done by using the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) standards checklist 2011. Results The overall preparedness of Aden City hospitals to disasters fell at the unacceptable level of readiness, with an average mean of 46.6 (SD = 38.31; range 24-82). Of 10 hospitals, two ranked insufficient while eight hospitals were at unacceptable levels of preparedness. Conclusion All hospitals were noted grossly unprepared for potential disasters. Therefore, it is recommended that greater efforts be invested in creating a comprehensive strategy and national or local guidelines to establish an emergency management system based on the anticipated hazard and the needed resources. NaserWN, IngrassiaPL, AladhraeS, AbdulraheemWA. A study of hospital disaster preparedness in South Yemen. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):133–138.