Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-skm99 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-29T09:21:58.242Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Water and Power Reserve Capacity of Health Facilities in the Greek Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2014

Lykourgos-Christos G. Alexakis ,
Tudor A. Codreanu  and
Samuel J. Stratton
Lykourgos-Christos G. Alexakis*
Affiliation:
General Hospital of Athens “G. Gennimatas,” 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Athens, Greece
Tudor A. Codreanu
Affiliation:
Bunbury and Busselton Hospitals, Critical Care Directorate, South West Health Campus, Bunbury, West Australia
Samuel J. Stratton
Affiliation:
University of California, Fielding School of Public Health and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California USA
*
Correspondence: Lykourgos-Christos Alexakis, MD, DTM, EMDM 153 Ionias Avenue Athens 10445 Attiki, Greece E-mail lchalexakis@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

Geographically isolated islands are vulnerable during natural or technological disasters. During disasters, island health facilities should be able to secure power and water in order to continue operations.

Objective

This study sought to determine the existence of Greek island health facility backup systems for water and power. When such systems existed, reserve capacity was quantified and compared to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Hospital Safety Index standards.

Methods

A standardized, self-administered questionnaire was sent to major health care facilities belonging to the national health system in all Greek islands. The biggest facility available in each island was included (hospital, health center, or health post). For Crete and Euboea, all hospitals were included.

Results

Fifty-four of 85 facilities queried (27 hospitals, 17 health centers and 41 health posts) responded, for a response rate of 64%. Responding to the survey were 16 hospitals, 12 health centers and 26 health posts. In 70% of responding facilities (all 16 hospitals, 10 health centers, and 12 health posts) a backup water tank was available, while 72% (all 16 hospitals, 11 health centers, and 12 health posts) had a backup power supply system. Twenty-seven facilities provided data on water reserve, with 15 (56%) reporting a reserve for three or more days. Twenty facilities provided data on fuel stock and power consumption; six (30%) had energy reserves for more than 72 hours, and eight (40%) had reserves for 24-72 hours.

Conclusions

Greek state-supported island health facilities responding to the questionnaire had water and power reserves for use in an emergency. Health centers and health posts were less prepared than hospitals. Of the responding health facilities, half had a water backup system and approximately one-third had power backup systems with reserves that would last for at least 72 hours.

AlexakisLC, CodreanuTA, StrattonSJ. Water and Power Reserve Capacity of Health Facilities in the Greek Islands. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(1):1-5.

Keywords

disasterdisaster planningelectricityemergency managementhealth emergencyhealth facilitieshospital emergency managementislandspowerwater
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 146 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Economy and Finance, General Secretariat of the National Statistical Service of Greece. Arrivals of Foreigners in Greece, Year 2007, Pireas, July 9, 2008. http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/. Accessed January 20, 2010.Google Scholar
2. Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Economy and Finance, General Secretariat of the National Statistical Service of Greece. Permanent resident population, regions, prefectures, municipalities, communities, and municipal/commune departments, statistical database, year 2001. http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGEthemesp_param=A1602&r_param=SAM01&y_param=2001_00&mytabs=0. Accessed May 15, 2011.Google Scholar
3. Institute of Geodynamics - National Observatory of Athens: Seismicity Catalogs. http://www.gein.noa.gr/services/info-en.html. Accessed January 20, 2010.Google Scholar
4. General Secretariat of Civil Protection (Greece). Natural Disasters in 2008. http://www.gscp.gr/ggpp/site/home/ws/units/secondary+menu/statistika/Fisikes+Katastrofes+2008.csp. Accessed April 07, 2009.Google Scholar
5. Matzarakis, A, Mayer, H. Heat stress in Greece. Int J Biometeorol. 1997;41:34-39.Google Scholar
6. General Secretariat of Civil Protection (Greece). Natural Disasters in 2007. http://www.gscp.gr/ggpp/site/home/ws/units/secondary+menu/statistika/fisikes+katastrofes+2007.csp. Accessed April 07, 2009.Google Scholar
7. Dominey-Howes, D, Minos-Minopoulos, D. Perceptions of hazard and risk on Santorini. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 2004;137:285-310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. World Health Organization. The WHO e-atlas of disaster risk for the European Region. Volume 1: Exposure to natural hazards. Version 2.0. http://www.who-eatlas.org/europe/.Published2011. Accessed May 15, 2011Google Scholar
9. Tanaka, K. The Kobe earthquake: the system response. A disaster report from Japan. Eur Jf Emerg Med. 1996;3(4):263-269.Google Scholar
10. Aghababian, R, Lewis, C, Gans, L, Curley, F. Disasters Within Hospitals. Ann Emerg Med. 1994;23:771-777.Google Scholar
11. Norcross, E, Elliott, B, Adams, D, Crawford, F. Impact of a major hurricane on surgical services in a university hospital. Am Surg. 1993;59(1):28-33.Google Scholar
12. Mimikou, M. Water Resources in Greece: Present and Future. Global NEST Journal. 2005;7(3):313-322.Google Scholar
13. The Sphere Project: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. Oxfam Publishing; 2004.Google Scholar
14. Refugee Health: An approach to emergency situations. Medecins Sans Frontieres, Macmillan UK; 1997.Google Scholar
15. Hospital Safety Index: Evaluation Forms for Safe Hospitals. Series Hospitals Safe from Disasters, 2. Washington, D.C. Pan American Health Organization 2008, 19.Google Scholar
16. Delladetsima, P, Dandoulaki, M, Soulakellis, N. An Aegean island earthquake protection strategy: an integrated analysis and policy methodology. Disasters. 2006;30(4):469-502.Google Scholar
17. Ministry of Health and Welfare, Department of Primary Health Care. Map of Health Centers, Health Posts, Polyvalent Health Posts, Special Health Posts of Prisons. http://www.mohaw.gr/communication/3a7rsima-tilefona-dieythynseis/pfy.doc/view. Accessed April 09, 2009. http://www.yyka.gov.gr/communication/3a7rsima-tilefona-dieythynseis/pfy.doc/view. Accessed August 21, 2010.Google Scholar
18. Hospital Safety Index: Evaluation Forms for Safe Hospitals. Series Hospitals Safe from Disasters, 2. Washington, D.C. Pan American Health Organization 2008, 18.Google Scholar
19. Municipality of Megisti website. http://www.megisti.gr/en/megisti.html. Accessed May 2, 2012.Google Scholar
20. Nates, J. Combined external and internal hospital disaster: Impact and response in a Houston trauma center intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. 2004;32:686-690.Google Scholar
21. Counts, C. Disaster preparedness: Is your unit ready? Nephrol Nurs J. 2001;28(5):491-499.Google ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Alexakis Supplementary Material

Questionnaire

Download Alexakis Supplementary Material(File)
File 24.1 KB