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Successful Hospital Evacuation After the Kumamoto Earthquakes, Japan, 2016

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2017

Takashi Nagata ,
Shinkichi Himeno ,
Akihiro Himeno ,
Manabu Hasegawa ,
Alan Kawarai Lefor ,
Makoto Hashizume ,
Yoshihiko Maehara  and
Masami Ishii
Takashi Nagata*
Affiliation:
Kyushu University, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Fukuoka, Japan
Shinkichi Himeno
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Himeno Hospital, Hirokawa, Japan
Akihiro Himeno
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Himeno Hospital, Hirokawa, Japan
Manabu Hasegawa
Affiliation:
Shimonoseki-city Department of Public Health, Shimonoseki, Japan
Alan Kawarai Lefor
Affiliation:
Jichi Medical University, Department of Surgery, Shimotsuke, Japan
Makoto Hashizume
Affiliation:
Kyushu University, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Fukuoka, Japan Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Kyushu University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan
Yoshihiko Maehara
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery and Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan
Masami Ishii
Affiliation:
Japan Medical Association, Tokyo, Japan
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Takashi Nagata, MD, PhD, Kyushu University, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Fukuoka, Japan (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Two major earthquakes struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan in April 2016. Disaster response was immediately provided, including disaster medical services. Many hospitals were damaged and patients needed immediate evacuation to alternative facilities. The hospital bed capacity of Kumamoto Prefecture was overwhelmed, and transportation of more than 100 patients was needed. Hospital evacuation was carried out smoothly with the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies. The overall operation was deemed a success because patients were transported in a timely manner without any significant adverse events. Upon repair of facilities in Kumamoto Prefecture, patients were returned safely to their previous facilities. The management of inpatients after this natural disaster in Kumamoto Prefecture can serve as a model for hospital evacuation with multi-agency coordination in the future. Future efforts are needed to improve interfacility communications immediately following a natural disaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:517–521)

Keywords

hospital evacuationearthquakeincident command systemFukushima nuclear accident
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 11 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 517 - 521
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

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