Overstromingen en klimaatverandering: de impact van wateroverlast op ziekenhuizen

Abstract

Flooding and climate change: the impact of inundations on hospitals In the future, climate change is expected to increase the risk and occurrence of extreme weather events, including flooding. This means that hospitals must take into account situations in which severe weather or natural disasters endanger the continuity of care. Hospitals must therefore include a water test in their technical design and take this into account in their contingency plans, in which a total evacuation only needs to be considered as a last resort. Coordination with other hospitals, the government, fire brigade, Red Cross, military and other actors in emergency services is crucial, as are joint multidisciplinary exercises and simulations. In the summer of 2021, this turned out to be not only a theoretical threat, but pure and harsh reality. In this article, the impact of the threat of flooding on Belgian and Dutch hospitals along the river Meuse, as well as their previous experiences and approaches to this precarious situation in the summer of 2021 are described. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, contingency plans and evacuation protocols are also required to take into account specific hygienic measures, which make the response to such calamities even more challenging. In this article, the risks of flooding for the health care sector are discussed and suggestions for daily practice are provided.