Summary

The primary objective of this project is to bolster the resilience of health facilities, including hospitals and health centers, against the impacts of natural disasters and associated risks. To achieve this goal, the project will leverage the methodology previously utilized in a national climate vulnerability assessment, which already included information on hospitals and health centers.

Components

Component 1

Conduct a national assessment to understand the spatial extent of multi-hazard risk under the current and future climate in Lao PDR and how they affect health facilities and critical infrastructure such as electricity, water, and  transport networks in Lao PDR’s 18 provinces

Component 2

Pilot a national hospital safety assessment based on the Hospital Safety Index.

Component 3

Develop Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and distribution/action plan for the provision of water supply and sanitation in case of health emergency.

Background

Lao PDR faces high exposure to climate and disaster risks like floods and droughts, coupled with elevated vulnerability and low climate resilience readiness. Such disaster and cascading risk pose significant risk to public health in a variety of ways. In addition to deaths and injuries caused by common causes such as drowning, electrocution and building collapse, hazards such as floods raise follow-on health risks including water and vector-borne diseases, infections, and mental health issues. Disasters could also severely disrupt the functioning of health facilities through direct damage to health facilities as well as through indirect channels such as damage to critical infrastructure including electricity, water, and transport systems. These could pose cascading risks to the functioning of the country’s health facilities, especially when natural hazard events interact with pandemic risks. To strengthen the resilience of healthcare facilities under climate and disaster risk, therefore, proper understanding is needed on the current state of hospital safety in Lao PDR.

Project Details

  • Project Title: National Assessment of Multi-Hazard Risk and Critical Infrastructure under Climate Change and Development and Pilot-Testing of Lao PDR Hospital Safety Index
  • Status: Project Under Implementation
  • Geographic Coverage: All 18 provinces
  • Duration: May 2023 – Dec 2024
  • Budget for UN-Habitat component: $210,502
  • Partnership: Ministry of Health
  • Donor: World Bank 
  • Shortened Project Title: WASH emergency