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Newsletter
Health Systems Resilience
Health systems are a lifeline for any community. In rural areas a single hospital or clinic may be the only place to go for medical care. But at a time when people need them most, disasters can cripple these facilities.
Utilities and roads can also suffer damage and fail, cutting off outside services.
To care for a surge of injured patients, and to keep functioning through challenging conditions, health systems must prepare to go it alone. That’s why we help medical staff identify their crisis roles, plan how to evacuate, practice disaster response in realistic simulations, and avoid losses. We also help plan for backup water, power, communications, and critical supplies.
“No one should survive a disaster and then die at a hospital due to poorly built facilities or system failure. Hospital resilience is more than ensuring the safety of facilities. It is also developing staff leaders who are ready to face the unexpected situation that many recent disasters have provoked.”
Garmalia Mentor-William, M.D.
Haiti Representative, GeoHazards International
Projects
Strengthening Haiti's Health Facilities for Disaster Resilience
2025 - 2027
Haiti
Haiti’s health infrastructure faces substantial challenges delivering consistent, inclusive, quality care across the country. A Small Island Developing State with a challenging political context, Haiti has endured extreme consequences from several types of hazard events.
Hospital Safety Index Assessment Training and Implementation Nepal
2024
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.
“It is not enough that a hospital building itself withstands an earthquake, flood, fire, or terror attack. Critical equipment and services of the hospital have to remain running, at 300% of design capacity, to serve the dependent community.”
Hari Kumar, Ph.D.
South Asia Coordinator, GeoHazards International
Blog
Publications
Bir Hospital Assessment Report, Nepal
2013
A seismic assessment of Bir Hospital, a tertiary referral and teaching hospital run by the National Academy of Medical Sciences. Bir's disaster preparedness is a high priority because it offers numerous medical specialties, serves as a center for disaster response, and provides care for Kathmandu’s poor and a large number of people.
Reducing Earthquake Risks in Hospitals from Equipment, Contents, Architectural Elements and Building Utility Systems
2011
Shows how to equip hospitals to function in a disaster: plan for backup utilities, find and mitigate vulnerabilities in the buildings, and secure objects that could topple and cause injuries in an earthquake. Intended for hospital administrators, engineers, and maintenance staff.
Additional Resources
