Joint efforts among the community, state agencies and international organisations are needed to keep hospitals safe from natural disasters as a keystone to overall disaster mitigation plans.

This was one of messages disseminated at a meeting held in Thua Thien- Hue to mark International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction which falls on October 14.

The meeting, entitled “Keeping hospitals safe from disaster”, addressed the reality that Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate, lying close to one of the world’s five major storm-prone regions, which drive the country’s weather and hydrographical situation in complicated ways.

This year alone, 10 typhoons and two tropical low pressure systems hit the East Sea . The latest disaster, storm Ketsana, caused heavy property damage to over 14 trillion VND (nearly 804 million USD) after it slammed into provinces in central Vietnam and the Central Highlands earlier this month.

At least 163 people were killed; 17 are still missing and 616 were injured in the affected areas.

Given this fact, international and local organisations, who are attending the meeting, provided relief packages to Thua Thien- Hue province. Save the Children granted 160 tonnes of rice and 800 packages of goods worth of over 4 billion VND to Phu Loc and Phong Dien districts while the Ha Noi Media Association has provided 15 million VND to improve a medical station in Huong Phong commune in Huong Tra district.

A total of 25 scholarships were also given to the province on the occasion by Director of Royal Haskoning Vietnam Martin Coopman and the JANI, an international group on natural disaster mitigation./.