Regional drill on health response to disasters takes place in Danang

• U.S. Launches Project to Improve Vietnam’s Disaster Preparedness
• UN allocates US$ 4 million for emergency disaster response in Viet Nam
• Natural disasters cause 300 deaths and loss of 1.3 billion USD annually

The event, jointly held by the Da Nang municipal People’s Committee, JICA and Thailand’s National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), is part of a project on strengthening ASEAN’s regional capacity on disaster health management. 

More than 200 members of emergency medical teams joined the drill under the ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management project in Danang city.

Vietnam and nine other ASEAN states have proactively joined in the project since 2015, with the aim of enhancing the cooperation mechanism on health in disaster response across the region.

The drill challenged participants to respond to a ‘super typhoon’ with wind speeds of 200km per hour sweeping central provinces from Thua Thien-Hue to Quang Ngai, killing 500 people and wounding 800 others. In the training scenario, dozens of living quarters were isolated and nearly 10,000 victims were taken to hospitals.

ASEAN countries then responded to a call for help from Vietnam through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) and emergency medical teams (EMT) were sent to disaster-hit areas in Vietnam with air cargo containing logistics and medical equipment.

Delegates at the drill's opening ceremony.

Speaking at the opening of the drill, Deputy Minister of Health Pham Le Tuan said that Vietnam stands ready to cooperate with the other ASEAN member states in medical response to natural calamities in the region.

 Participating in international drills will enable Vietnamese medical management agencies to improve their professional capacity in case of natural disasters, he added.

It’s the second time that Vietnam has hosted the drill with the aim of strengthening joint actions with regional countries in dealing with disaster.