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International Medical Response to a Natural Disaster: Lessons Learned from the Bam Earthquake Experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Hassan Abolghasemi ,
Mohammad Hadi Radfar ,
Masoud Khatami ,
Masoud Saghafi Nia ,
Ali Amid  and
Susan M. Briggs
Hassan Abolghasemi
Affiliation:
Baqiyatallah Research Center, Baqiyatallah Hospital, Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University, Mollasadra, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Hadi Radfar*
Affiliation:
Iranian Pediatrics Hematology and Oncology Society, Tehran, Iran
Masoud Khatami
Affiliation:
Surgery Ward, Baqiyatallah Hospital, Baquiyatallah Medical Sciences University
Masoud Saghafi Nia
Affiliation:
Baqiyatallah Research Center, Baqiyatallah Hospital, Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University, Mollasadra, Tehran, Iran
Ali Amid
Affiliation:
Iranian Pediatrics Hematology and Oncology Society, Tehran, Iran
Susan M. Briggs
Affiliation:
International Trauma and Disaster Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
*
Mohammad Hadi Radfar International Pediatrics Hematology and Oncology Society, No. 32 Shahed Alley, Vesal Street, Keshavarez Boulevard Tehran, Iran Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale devastated Bam, Iran on the morning of 26 December 2003. Due to the great health demands and collapse of health facilities, international aid could have been a great resource in the area. Despite sufficient amounts and types of resources provided by international teams, the efficacy of international assistance was not supported in Bam, as has been experienced in similar events in other countries. Based on the observations in the region and collecting and analyzing documents about the disaster, this manuscript provides an overview of the medical needs during the disaster and describes the international medical response. The lessons learned include: (1) necessity of developing a national search and rescue strategy; (2) designing an alarm system; (3) establishing an international incident command system; (4) increasing the efficacy of the arrival and implementation of a foreign field hospital; and (5) developing a flowchart for deploying international assistance.

Keywords

Bamdisasterearthquakeinternational responsemedical responsesearch and rescue
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , June 2006 , pp. 141 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2006

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