Libya | News | Launching the Hospital Safety Index in Libya

Launching the Hospital Safety Index in Libya

Print PDF

Participants at the Hospital Safety Index workshop9 February 2018 – From 7 to 9 February 2018, in line with the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (the Sendai Framework), WHO Libya helda three-day workshop on the Hospital Safety Index in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, in Carthage, Tunisia. The workshop introduce the Hospital Safety Index to the Libyan health system and hospitals, assess the emergency safety/readiness of the most important hospitals in Libya, and define strategies and modalities for integration of the Index into the Libyan health information system.

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative Libya and Mr Muhammad Ibrahim, Director-General of the health information system at the Ministry of Health. Participants included the directors and heads of medical affairs of 15 hospitals from the different regions of Libya, including the west, east, centre and south. Libya is facing protracted crises and its hospitals need to remain safe and be well prepared to respond to emergencies and disasters.

A safe hospital is defined as one whose services remain accessible and functioning at maximum capacity, and with the same infrastructure, before, during and immediately after the impact of emergencies and disasters. The Hospital Safety Index, a WHO initiative, has proven to be a valuable tool for improving the safety and functionality of hospitals, so that life-saving and other health services can be provided during emergencies and disasters. The Index evaluates the key elements required for the functioning of a hospital in emergencies, including emergency and disaster management, structural safety and non-structural safety. The revised 2015 Hospital Safety Index (2nd edition) requires that 151 items in structural, non-structural and emergency and disaster management modules are evaluated by trained and experienced independent experts.

Related links

Safe hospitals and health facilities