Health Care in Humanitarian Emergencies

The numbers of people affected by disasters worldwide steadily rises, while the resources to provide care to them continue to diminish. At the same time disaster vulnerabilities continue to rise especially in many population segments. What are the health needs of disaster-displaced or affected populations? How do we assess these needs, and how can assistance be provided in an effective manner? We will discuss the rules that govern how assistance is provided, and observance by the various groups and organizations providing assistance. Where can we intervene to effectively reduce disaster risks? With recovery comes the rebuilding of damaged health services. We will visit some of the challenges with rebuilding. Finally, we will look ahead to how projected demographic trends may fuel the population movements for the future and related disaster risks.nd