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Newsletter
Hospital Safety Index Assessment Training and Implementation Nepal
A comprehensive three-day training program on the application of a customized WHO Hospital Safety Index (HSI) tool was conducted in Kathmandu, Nepal, from December 9-11, 2024. The event, organized by Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population in collaboration with its health emergency units, WHO (both country and regional offices), and partners including GeoHazards International (GHI) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), aimed to enhance the resilience of the country's healthcare facilities against various hazards.
Field Assessment of a Hospital in Nepal using WHO Hospital Safety Index (HSI).
The training provided participants with a strong foundation in hospital safety assessments, covering the tool's structural, non-structural, and emergency management components, as well as newly developed checklists for fire safety and access barriers.
The agenda blended theoretical knowledge with practical application. Experts from GHI delivered detailed technical sessions on conducting assessments, explaining the customization of the tool for Nepal's specific context, and sharing lessons from past evaluations, including those related to the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. A key outcome was the introduction and testing of a new mobile application (HSI+ App) developed by WHO Nepal to streamline future data collection. This theoretical learning was directly applied on the final day through a field visit to the Armed Police Force Hospital, where participants, guided by trainers, gained hands-on experience in using the HSI tool to conduct a real-world assessment.
The President of GeoHazards International, Veronica Cedillos, speaking on the key highlights of the WHO Hospital Safety Index (HSI) training in Nepal.
In conclusion, the program successfully built national capacity for systematic hospital safety assessments. It equipped healthcare professionals with the necessary knowledge and practical skills to evaluate and improve the disaster resilience of their facilities. The collaborative effort paves the way for the wider implementation of the HSI tool across Nepal, with subsequent field assessments carried out for hospitals in Janakpur, Bharatpur, and Lumbini, ultimately contributing to the goal of safer healthcare infrastructure in Nepal.