Structured preparedness before a crisis is the foundation of sustainable resilience
Structured preparedness before a crisis is the foundation of sustainable resilience
A member of the scientific board of the Health in Emergency and Disaster Education Group, coinciding with the start of Mental Health Week and the first day’s slogan “Organized Preparedness Before Crisis, Sustainable Resilience,” said: Organized preparedness before a crisis is the foundation of resilience.
According to a report by Web Day University correspondent, Dr. Hamidreza Khaankeh, head of the Health in Emergency and Disaster Education Group at the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, stated: Preparedness before a crisis is an umbrella that includes all preventive, planned, and operational actions taken before an event to reduce its effects and enhance recovery capacity. Given that Iran is a high-risk country with 53 priority hazards due to climatic conditions, geographical environment, and vulnerability, we are among the most hazardous countries in the world, and we must seriously pursue organized preparedness before a crisis.
Dr. Khaankeh added: Resilience goes beyond preparedness; it refers to a system’s capacity to absorb shocks, recover quickly, and adapt to new conditions after a crisis. Crisis management and organized preparedness before a crisis require a systematic and national approach.
Iran is among the five countries that generate knowledge in the field of risk management and the health system
He noted: In our country, accidents receive national responses; although in terms of knowledge, Iran is among the best, there is room for improvement in performance. Fortunately, Iran is among the five countries that generate knowledge in risk management and the health system, and we should achieve good results by applying the principled perspective of the comprehensive document “Risk Management of Disasters and Emergencies in the Health System.” A principled approach to this document constitutes a form of pre-crisis preparedness.
The head of the Health in Emergency and Disaster Education Group at the university described major actions in recent years as: drafting national basic scenarios for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s health system, designing a set of national tools for risk assessment and indicators of health sector capabilities in disasters and emergencies, writing the health in disasters and emergencies coursebook, examining the role of environmental management in reducing disaster risk, and drafting hospital preparedness plans.
He continued: A holistic, multi-part approach to risk management, avoidance of reaction-focused responses, emphasis on prevention and risk reduction, leveraging modern technologies and artificial intelligence in risk management, knowledge translation, experiences and lessons learned from the health system in risk management, planning to boost the resilience of the health system and moving toward sustainable development, community participation and community-centered risk management, expanding education and capacity building in risk management, and more, are among the examples of pre-crisis preparedness.
Dr. Khaankeh stated: Preparedness before a crisis and enhancing resilience not only save lives but also prevent economic, social, and cultural collapse in the face of major shocks, ensuring the country’s development path.
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