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Major Incidents in Kenya: the Case for Emergency Services Development and Training

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2013

Benjamin W. Wachira  and
Wayne Smith
Benjamin W. Wachira*
Affiliation:
Accident and Emergency Department, Aga Khan University Hospital – Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Wayne Smith
Affiliation:
Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
*
Correspondence: Benjamin W. Wachira, MBChB, Dip PEC, MMed EM, FCEM Aga Khan University Hospital – Nairobi Accident and Emergency Department PO Box 30270 Nairobi 00100, Kenya E-mail [email protected]
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Abstract

Kenya's major incidents profile is dominated by droughts, floods, fires, terrorism, poisoning, collapsed buildings, accidents in the transport sector and disease/epidemics. With no integrated emergency services and a lack of resources, many incidents in Kenya escalate to such an extent that they become major incidents. Lack of specific training of emergency services personnel to respond to major incidents, poor coordination of major incident management activities, and a lack of standard operational procedures and emergency operation plans have all been shown to expose victims to increased morbidity and mortality.

This report provides a review of some of the major incidents in Kenya for the period 2000-2012, with the hope of highlighting the importance of developing an integrated and well-trained Ambulance and Fire and Rescue service appropriate for the local health care system.

WachiraB, SmithW. Major Incidents in Kenya: the Case for Emergency Services Development and Training. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(2):1-4.

Keywords

disastersEmergency Medical ServicesEMSfirefightersemergency medicine
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 170 - 173
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2013

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