Farley Jessica M, Suraweera Inoka, Perera W L S P, Hess Jeremy, Ebi Kristie L
a Department of Global Health , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA.
b Environmental and Occupational Health Directorate , Ministry of Health , Colombo , Sri Lanka.
Glob Health Action. 2017;10(1):1331539. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2017.1331539.
Sri Lanka is vulnerable to floods and other hydro-meteorological disasters. Climate change is projected to increase the intensity of these events.
This study aimed to assess the flood preparedness in healthcare facilities in Eastern Province.
This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, mixed methods study conducted in Trincomalee District. Surveys were conducted in 31 government healthcare facilities, using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire covering the last 5 years. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with randomly selected Medical Officers in Charge or their equivalent, and 3 interviews were conducted with Medical Offices of Health.
Two general hospitals, 3 base hospitals, 11 divisional hospitals, and 15 primary care units were included. Six respondents (19.4%) reported flooding in their facility, and 19 (61.3%) reported flooding in their catchment area. For the health workforce, 77.4% of respondents reported not enough staff to perform normal service delivery during disasters, and 25.5% reported staff absenteeism due to flooding. Several respondents expressed a desire for more disaster-specific and general clinical training opportunities for themselves and their staff. Most respondents (80.7%) reported no delays in supply procurement during weather emergencies, but 61.3% reported insufficient supplies to maintain normal service delivery during disasters. Four facilities (12.9%) had disaster preparedness plans, and 4 (12.9%) had any staff trained on disaster preparedness or management within the last year. One quarter (25.8%) of respondents had received any written guidance on disaster preparedness from the regional, provincial, or national level in the last year.
While there is a strong health system operating in Sri Lanka, improvements are needed in localized and appropriate disaster-related training, resources for continuing clinical education, and investments in workforce to strengthen flood and other disaster resilience within the government healthcare system in the study district.
斯里兰卡易受洪水和其他水文气象灾害影响。预计气候变化将加剧这些灾害的强度。
本研究旨在评估东部省医疗机构的洪水防备情况。
这是一项在亭可马里区进行的横断面、描述性混合方法研究。在31家政府医疗机构中进行了调查，使用了一份经过预测试的结构化问卷，涵盖过去5年的情况。对随机挑选的主管医务人员或其同等人员进行了7次深入访谈，并对卫生医务办公室进行了3次访谈。
纳入了2家综合医院、3家基地医院、11家分区医院和15家基层医疗单位。6名受访者（19.4%）报告其所在机构发生过洪水，19名（61.3%）报告其集水区发生过洪水。对于卫生工作人员，77.4%的受访者报告在灾害期间没有足够的工作人员进行正常服务，25.5%报告因洪水导致工作人员缺勤。几位受访者表示希望为自己和工作人员提供更多针对特定灾害和一般临床的培训机会。大多数受访者（80.7%）报告在天气紧急情况期间供应采购没有延迟，但61.3%报告在灾害期间维持正常服务的物资不足。4家机构（12.9%）有灾难防备计划，4家（12.9%）在过去一年中有工作人员接受过灾难防备或管理方面的培训。四分之一（25.8%）的受访者在过去一年中从地区、省或国家层面收到过任何有关灾难防备的书面指导。
虽然斯里兰卡有强大的卫生系统在运作，但在研究地区的政府医疗系统内，需要在本地化和适当的灾害相关培训、继续临床教育资源以及劳动力投资方面加以改进，以增强应对洪水和其他灾害的复原力。
