In many emergency situations, people depend on these facilities to treat diseases and other health problems that arise. When the health facilities are destroyed or are non-functional during emergencies, there is increased suffering and very often death.

Natural disasters such as floods, drought, and disease outbreaks usually lead to destruction of health facilities and to functional disruption of services. In Uganda, floods in eastern Uganda and hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Gulu, Bundibugyo and Kamwenge attest to this fact as they led to destruction of health facilities, cessation of services or in the worst case, death of health workers.

In conflict situations, health facilities are deliberately targeted or used as operational bases by the warring parties. These activities make it impossible for health facilities to render services not only to the desperate population but also to the warring parties themselves.

Yet there are also internal factors that make it impossible for health facilities to operate during emergencies. Some of these factors include poor training of health workers, lack of water and electricity, poor construction, poor emergency preparedness, lack of transport and communication or even lack of drugs and tools.

The UN therefore uses this year’s world Health day, to advocate for better preparedness of health facilities during emergencies. There is need to evaluate the status of health facilities and determine whether they are ready to cope with natural or man-made emergency situations.

We urge government and all stakeholders to develop policies, emergency plans and appropriate programmes that will ensure safety of lives during emergencies. There is also urgent need to equip and adequately staff facilities, train health workers in emergency preparedness, enforce vigorous infection control and provide basic transport and communication.

Overall, the UN pledges technical, financial and logistical support to the government of Uganda to prepare health facilities for emergency health situations. Together we can make facilities better to save lives.

I would like to use this opportunity of the World Health Day to call upon all of you to take necessary measures to make health facilities safe during emergencies. The safety measures include resilient construction of facilities at safe sites. The design should help ensure the safety and uninterrupted supply of power, water, medicines, reagents and equipment as well as services for management of wastes, logistics, transport and communication. The revision of building policies for health facilities as well as physical planning of towns, cities and villages is an exercise that transcends the health sector. In the planning and construction of health facilities at urban and rural areas, ministries of health should involve not only architects but also town planners and environmental engineers in order to build health facilities in the right places and in physical forms that would enable them to withstand emergencies.

Health facilities should develop emergency preparedness and response plans and conduct mass casualty drills every year to test and refine the plan.

Health facilities should not be targeted or used for military operations during conflicts. In the event of armed conflict, warring factions should ensure the safety and functionality of health facilities including the safety of health workers. Health facilities are expected to be safe havens for people during an emergency. The facilities and their staff must be regarded by all parties – particularly combatants during conflicts – as neutral and must not be subjected to any act of violence. WHO is devoting World Health Day 2009 to starting a process that reaches beyond this one day. In this regard, WHO will be working jointly with international and national partners to assist countries in preparing their health facilities and staff for emergencies. The campaign that starts today will assist Member States to build resilience into their health systems so that hospitals, clinics and staff can withstand crises.

Protecting our health facilities to remain functional during emergencies will surely save lives.