Partnership in health and disaster management in south Asia.

Includes references

Paper from International Conference on Disaster Management Cooperative Networking in south Asia, 28th to 30th November 1999, New Delhi

The countries of South Asian Region are committed to the principle and practices of inter country co-operation. Quite recently there has been increasing exploration in initiation of technical co-operation among the South Asian countries in addition to co-operation among the developing countries. With the Alma Ata declaration of "health for all" and the Yokohama call for a "safer world" in terms of disaster prevention, preparedness, and mitigation, it becomes important to examine the areas of technical cooperation in health and disaster management among the South Asian countries in the light of these declarations. Since most of these countries belong to the developing category, disaster management measures such as superforecasting and communication networks, enforcement of strict codes for seismic and fire proof construction, provision of quick medical relief and a well laid down contingency plan are either not available or have not been implemented properly. As such the population remains extremely vulnerable to the adverse health consequences from natural disasters. Since the overall public effects of disasters are common to most catastrophic events facing these countries they can work collectively in areas of health and disasters. It thus becomes pertinent to identify the common areas of technical cooperation among the South Asian countries within the framework of health and disaster management. Before exploring the possible areas of technical co-operation, it will be worthwhile to mention briefly the health and disaster situation in the South Asian countries and also the effects and consequences of disasters on public health