GVMC focuses on building resilient health systems

Visakhapatnam: In the recent gas leak incidents that occurred in Visakhapatnam, 14 people have lost their lives and hundreds got hospitalised.

This has led to an intensified focus on disaster management as the officials concerned consider steps to prevent accidents from recurring, measures to build a stronger public health system and minimise the risks from disasters.

Keeping the recent gas leak incidents in view, the GVMC has initiated a project on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) collaborating with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and signed the framework agreement. The project primarily focuses on the city's ability to ensure adequate and effective public health services during disasters as the SFDRR recommends 'resilient health systems' for an effective DRR. With an objective to strengthen the city response to emergency planning during disasters, GVMC Commissioner G Srijana sought the support of the private sector partners through public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The selected private organisations will collaborate with the GVMC and contribute to the endeavour as a part of their corporate social responsibility.

Elaborating about the project, city project coordinator of United Nations Development Programme project, GVMC, N Srinivasa Rajamani says, "Some of the benefits of the resilient health systems include enabling real-time management of health system assets such as ambulances which can reduce the response time, prevent and reduce injuries and loss of life."

As a part of the project, the SFDRR team conducted a series of meetings with the GVMC officials along with the representatives from the private sector and underlined the need for fundamental cataloguing of available health system capabilities, including mapping health services in GVMC, identifying various emergency response vehicles and units, and inventorying other core health system components, as a vital step towards preparing for DRR. With this, the GVMC focuses on strengthening its existing disaster risk management plans and enhance the resilience of the health system.