Preparedness Program to Prevent, Mitigate and Be Ready to Respond to Negative Effects of Earthquake That May Affect ZCMC

Preparedness Program to Prevent, Mitigate and Be Ready to Respond to Negative Effects of Earthquake That May Affect ZCMC

Based on the ZCMC EQ-BCP Preparedness and Response Framework (see diagram below), there are five key preparedness measures to prevent, mitigate, and be ready to respond to the negative effects of a devastating earthquake that may affect ZCMC in the future.

These are: Earthquake Safe Hospital-Building-Office Initiative; Quality Manual; Internal Earthquake Preparedness Plan; Manual of Operations of Health Emergency and Disaster Response Management. An Earthquake Contingency Plan in Zamboanga City may also be utilized if there is one available.

EARTHQUAKE SAFE HOSPITAL-BUILDING-OFFICE INITIATIVE

The Earthquake Safe Hospital-Building-Office Initiative is adopted from the Safe Hospital Initiative which focuses on hospital patient safety during disasters. In ZCMC, there are two types of buildings - one that houses a service for patient care, and the other does not. The principles of safety from disasters are the essentially the same. The only differences are promoting safety of patients and ensuring continuing functioning of medical lifesaving equipment in the buildings that house patients.

Just like the Safe Hospital Initiative, there are three integrity indicators in the Earthquake Safe Hospital-Building-Office Initiative, namely, structural, non-structural, and functional.

The Earthquake Safe Hospital-Building-Office Initiative can be divided into two checklists: one, Earthquake Safe Hospital Building Initiative; the other, Earthquake Safe Building-Office Initiative.

Structural Integrity and Indicators

Structural elements are the primary load-bearing components that make a building stand, such as foundation; column (posts and pillars); beams; and slabs.

Earthquake Safe Hospital Building Initiative

Goal: To ensure that the hospital building will not collapse or be destroyed during an earthquake so as to protect patients, staff and properties; be able to continue to function; and be safe to accommodate patients from external mass casualty incidents.

Earthquake Safe Building-Office Initiative

Goal: To ensure that the building-office will not collapse or be destroyed during an earthquake so as to protect patients, staff and properties and be able to continually provide ZCMC services to both external and internal customers.

Non-structural Integrity and Indicators

Non-structural elements are those elements that do not form part of the load-bearing system of the building-office. These include the architectural components of the building-office; furniture, machines and equipment of the building-office; and critical systems for continuous rendering of services of the building-office like communication; electrical; water supply; heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems; fire suppression system; data management system; security system; etc.

Earthquake Safe Hospital Building Initiative

Goal: To ensure that the architectural components; furniture, machines and equipment; critical systems for continuous functioning of the organization like communication and electrical system; and lifelines for continuous rendering of medical services like medical gas system and medical and laboratory equipment will not be destroyed during an earthquake so as to protect patients, staff and properties; be able to continually to function and provide critical and lifeline services; and be safe to accommodate patients from external mass casualty incidents.

Earthquake Safe Building-Office Initiative

Goal: To ensure that the architectural components; furniture, machines and equipment; and critical systems for continuous functioning of the building-office like communication; electrical; water supply; heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems; fire suppression system; data management; security; etc. will not be destroyed during an earthquake so as to protect staff and properties and be able to continually provide ZCMC services to both external and internal customers.

Functional Integrity and Indicators

Functional elements are those outside the structural (primary load-bearing) and non-structural elements (non-loading bearing and critical services). These include the earthquake response, business continuity and recovery plan of the building-office to ensure that the organization continue operating at maximum capacity right after the earthquake disaster with restoration of “business as usual” in the soonest time possible.

Earthquake Safe Hospital Building Initiative

Goal: To ensure that during times of earthquake, whether the structural and non-structural integrity of the hospital building are compromised or not, the hospital continually treats patients both currently in the hospital and those from external mass casualty incidents at maximum capacity; be accessible for surge of patients from external mass casualty incidents; and be able to restore “business as usual” in the soonest time possible.

Earthquake Safe Building-Office Initiative

Goal: To ensure that during times of earthquake, whether the structural and non-structural integrity of the building-office are compromised or not, ZCMC continually provides critical services to both external and internal customers and restore “business as usual” in the soonest time possible.

Preparedness Using the Earthquake Safe Hospital-Building-Office Initiative (see checklists)

Earthquake Safe Hospital Building Initiative

Earthquake Safe Building-Office Initiative

All offices, divisions and departments of ZCMC should do an assessment using the Earthquake Safe Hospital-Building-Office Initiative Checklist, both on internal and external basis, and initially and then at planned intervals. Identified areas of improvement should be acted upon as soon as possible. If all indicators are complied with, then there is a high probability that all the buildings and offices in ZCMC will not collapse or be destroyed during an earthquake so as to protect patients, staff, visitors and properties and be able to continually provide ZCMC services to both external and internal customers.

QUALITY MANUAL AS A PREPAREDNESS GUIDE FOR BUSINESS / SERVICE CONTINUITY

ZCMC is ISO 9001:2008 certified. It has a quality manual that shows how its quality management system operates. More specifically, it gives a detailed description of its quality control system which includes staff roles and relationships, procedures, systems and other resources that will contribute to producing high quality services. It should also contain response and contingency plans when quality of services is being challenged and hampered.

In the Quality Manual of ZCMC, there are these expected contents and goals in relation to the ZCMC Earthquake Business Continuity Plan:

· List of various offices, bureaus and divisions

· Authorized functions / services of the various offices, bureaus and divisions

· Processes and procedures of rendering quality services of the various offices, bureaus and divisions

· Attributes of quality services: accessibility, timeliness, effectiveness and efficiency

o Quality is the degree to which its processes and results meet or exceed the needs and desires of the people it serves.

o Quality is the degree of excellence; the extent to which an organization meets clients’ needs and exceeds their expectations.

These expected contents and goals are useful preparedness guides for the maintenance of critical services and restoration of all usual services of ZCMC post-earthquake.

Preparedness Using the Post-Earthquake Quality Services Restoration Indicators (see Checklist)

All offices, divisions and departments of the ZCMC should do an assessment using a checklist that will ensure maintenance and restoration of quality services post-earthquake. The checklist is derived from the ZCMC Quality Manual. The assessment should done both on internal and external basis, and initially and then at planned intervals. Identified areas of improvement should be acted upon as soon as possible. If all indicators are complied with, then there is a high probability that quality services can be maintained and restored at the soonest time possible post-earthquake.

INTERNAL EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS PLAN

The ZCMC itself may be affected by a devastating earthquake. Thus, it must have an internal earthquake preparedness plan. The preparedness includes individual and organizational preparedness against earthquake. For the latter, preparedness includes team response plans on management of incident; victims; service providers; data and information; logistics; finance; fires; etc.

Preparedness Using the Preparedness Plan for Strengthening ZCMC Capacity for Managing Internal EQ Disaster (see Checklist)

All offices, divisions and departments of ZCMC should do an assessment using a checklist that will ensure preparedness against internal earthquake or earthquake affecting ZCMC itself. The assessment should done both on internal and external basis, and initially and then at planned intervals. Identified areas of improvement should be acted upon as soon as possible. If all indicators are complied with, then there is a high probability that the internal earthquake disaster will be managed effectively and efficiently. The end-goal is to minimize loss of lives and injuries of staff, primarily, and secondarily, guests of ZCMC.

INTEGRATED DETAILED PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST FOR BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE POST-EARTHQUAKE

As the name implies, this is a checklist that integrates the details in the preparedness plans for both business / service continuity and the responses to the earthquake, both internal and external.

Preparedness Using the Integrated Detailed Preparedness Checklist for Business Continuity and Emergency Response Post-Earthquake(see Checklist)

The administrator of the ZCMC EQ-BCP, in collaboration of all offices, divisions and departments of the ZCMC, should do an assessment using a checklist that will ensure preparedness for business / service continuity as well as against internal and external earthquake disasters. The assessment should done both on internal and external basis, and initially and then at planned intervals. Identified areas of improvement should be acted upon as soon as possible. If all indicators are complied with, then there is a high probability that quality services can be maintained and restored at the soonest time possible post-earthquake and the internal and external earthquake disasters will be managed effectively and efficiently.

MANUAL OF OPERATIONS OF HEALTH EMERGENCY AND DISASTER RESPONSE MANAGEMENT

The DOH has recently (2015) published the Manual of Operations of Health Emergency and Disaster Response Management. The Manual deals with all kinds of hazards, not specifically earthquake. However, the principles of response management are the same regardless of types of hazards.

Preparedness Using the Manual of Operations of Health Emergency and Disaster Response Management. (see Manual)

All ZCMC staff should read and be educated on the Manual of Operations of Health Emergency and Disaster Response Management. If all the ZCMC staff are well-versed in the Manual, then there is a high probability that the internal and external earthquake disaster will be managed effectively and efficiently.

ZAMBOANGA CITY EARTHQUAKE CONTINGENCY PLAN

Preparedness Using the Zamboanga City Earthquake Contingency Plan (see Plan)

If there is, all ZCMC staff should read and be educated on the Zamboanga City Earthquake Contingency Plan. If all the ZCMC staff are well-versed in the Plan, then there is a high probability that the internal and external earthquake disasters will be managed effectively and efficiently.

ROJ@16mar13;16mar17