Comprehensive Safe Hospital Implementation in Rural Area of Indonesia

Abstract

Introduction:

Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia has to cope with the constant risk of many disasters. Hospitals in Indonesia are very vulnerable. Around 1,300 hospitals suffered damage since the Aceh tsunami (2006), with losses reaching 3 billion USD. Muhammadiyah is an Indonesian non-governmental organization (NGO) that has more than 300 hospitals. It is one of the forerunners in the Safe Hospital Initiative in Indonesia and has implemented a program named Hospital Preparedness and Community Readiness for Emergency and Disaster (HPCRED), which strengthened PKU Muhammadiyah hospitals in Bima (West Nusa Tenggara), the only hospital in Bima City, and in Palangkaraya (Central Borneo), funded by the Australian government.

Methods:

HPCRED improved the hospital through implementing two trainings (Hospital Disaster Management and Disaster Medical Officer), three workshops (Disaster Risk Management Policy, Hospital Emergency Response Plan, and Forming Hospital Disaster Management Committee and Disaster Medical Team), four exercises (Medical Skill Drill, Table Top, Command Post, and Full Scale). The improvement was evaluated through Muhammadiyah Safe Hospital Standard and Assessment Tool, which assessed four standards based on WHO Comprehensive Safe Hospital Framework (2015): (1) Management, (2) Human Resource, (3) Structure and Infrastructure, and (4) Integration and Cooperation.

Results:

After two years of program, both hospitals improved significantly. The PKU Muhammadiyah Palangkaraya index improved from 53 to 331 while the PKU Muhammadiyah Bima Hospital index improved from 83 to 374.

Discussion:

Before the program, hospitals were not ready to face disasters. The PKU Muhammadiyah Bima Hospital collapsed during a flash flood in December 2016. PKU Muhammadiyah Palangkaraya was overwhelmed during a haze disaster that occurred in April 2016. After the program, the hospitals were safe and ready to face similar disasters. They also already had the ability to respond to disasters on other islands, such as the earthquake in Lombok and Palu (2018).