In the state of Karnataka, India, the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was diagnosed on March 9, 2020. As stated by the WHO, around 15% of COVID-19 patients require treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Keeping this in mind, along with the increase in COVID-19 patients in Karnataka, it was predicted that the prevailing general wards and ICUs would be overburdened with the added non-COVID-19 diseases and infirmities. Hence, it was decided to set up a separate infrastructure to reduce the chances of transmission among the patients within the hospital. Thus, the board at SDM College of Medical Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, took the responsibility to establish a fully equipped 100-bedded hospital in its premise as part of the national and state services to combat the outbreak. The aim of the study was to establish an isolated, fully functional hospital, equipped with all necessary diagnostic and critical care facilities to treat patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in North Karnataka, India.

Disasters are often unforeseen events. Hospitals form a critical component of any country’s disaster management medical support system. To ensure optimal operations, minimize chaos, and allow flexibility in response, planning and practice are crucial. Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) collaborated with Hasanuddin University (UnHas) in Makassar, Indonesia, to develop a Hospital Disaster Medical Support (HDMS) program for the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. An assessment of the needs of the hospitals in Makassar, Indonesia, for disaster preparedness was carried out. A curriculum for the HDMS program was developed based on the assessment. Discussions with stakeholders of various hospitals were held for the implementation of this program. A total of 310 participants were trained in this program over the two-year period. The feedback from the participants was positive. The exercises provided a more realistic simulation of the concepts of hospital management in a disaster situation. Up to 73 persons were also trained as program instructors during this period. The development of the cadre of instructors in hospital disaster medical support will likely help sustain the program for the next few years.

Introduction: In recent years, the number of public health emergencies has increased. Improving hospital emergency management is an important challenge.

Objective: This is a pilot study intended to assess hospital emergency management in the Beijing area, make recommendations to government health authorities and hospital managers, and offer references for similar studies.

Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional survey. Forty-five hospitals in the Beijing area were selected randomly. A self-administered questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. It comprised of three sections: (1) Section A was the introduction; (2) Section B asked for the respondent's personal information; and (3) Section C comprised the major part of the questionnaire and was intended to gather information regarding the hospital's general emergency management situation.

Results: The survey response rate was 44%, accounting for 29% of total hospitals that the study targeted. No hospital had an established emergency management department or full-time staff for emergency management. A total of 15–45% of the hospitals had established a hospital emergency management committee, performed a vulnerability analysis, or evaluated emergency management regularly. Twenty-five percent of respondents thought that the local government health authority had established an integrated hospital incident command system. A total of 40%–55% of hospitals contracted with outside institutions for supplements, backup of key functional systems and professional support.

Conclusions: After the occurrence of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, Chinese hospital managers took many measures to improve hospital resilience. However, most of these efforts lacked the guidance of theories, concepts, principles, and methods. An integrated, standardized, operational hospital emergency management model has not been established. Although the survey response rate was relatively low, some clues for further study were discovered, and suggestions to the health authority for hospital emergency management improvement were revealed.