The first Regional Workshop on Disaster Resilient Hospitals for the North Eastern Region was successfully conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Guwahati. The workshop marked a significant step toward strengthening disaster preparedness and resilience of healthcare institutions across the region.
The two-day programme was jointly organized by the Department of Hospital Administration, All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi and AIIMS Guwahati under the aegis of the Disaster Cell, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It brought together delegates from all the North Eastern States—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura—along with representatives from West Bengal, Odisha and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong.
The workshop featured eminent faculty and experts from AIIMS New Delhi, AIIMS Guwahati and AIIMS Nagpur, as well as specialists from IIT Delhi, a leading corporate hospital chain, the Regional Fire Training Centre (Fire & Emergency Services), and the Cyber Security Cell, CID Assam. The deliberations combined expert lectures with practical, hands-on sessions designed to address critical aspects of hospital disaster preparedness.
Key thematic areas included structural safety in hospitals, earthquake-resilient hospital design, emergency and disaster management protocols, risk assessment and mitigation strategies, mass casualty management, oxygen management systems, fire safety preparedness, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) medical management, and strengthening IT systems and cyber security in healthcare institutions. The integrated approach enabled participants to examine clinical, administrative and engineering dimensions of disaster resilience under a single comprehensive platform.
This was the first workshop in the North East region to holistically address the multifaceted challenges of hospital disaster preparedness in such an integrated format, making it a pioneering initiative for strengthening healthcare resilience. Designed as a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme, the workshop aims to empower delegates to replicate similar training modules in their respective states and institutions. The cascading model is expected to significantly enhance preparedness, response capacity and institutional resilience of healthcare facilities across the region.