Assessing the level of preparedness of health facilities to landslide disasters in Bududa district

Abstract

Landslides have been a common occurrence in the Bududa district as a result of human activities and the nature of the landscape, affecting many people and resulting in several injuries and deaths. During landslides, nearby health facilities have always been on the ground to respond. This study was guided by two specific objectives: i) assessing the level of landslide preparedness in the Bududa district for landslide occurrence, and ii) determining the effective measure of health facility preparedness for landslide disasters in the Bududa district. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and four health facilities were chosen for this study. These included Bududa hospital, Bukalasi health center III, Bukigai health center III, and Bulucheke health center III, all of which are located near high-risk areas. Respondents were selected from both health workers and non-health workers. The findings show that landslides are common in the Budduda district due to the nature of the landscape. There were three types of landslides discovered: debris flow (23.8 percent), rock fall (47.6 percent), and rock slides (28.6 percent). The findings indicate that some level of health facility preparedness existed. Training of health workers prior to and after a landslide to provide them with knowledge and skills on how to assist landslide victims was being carried out. Village Health Teams (VHTs) and camps were set up by the health facilities in the communities. In some areas, preparedness was lacking due to insufficient number of beds at the facilities due to expected increase in patient in-flow. Insufficient equipment in the radiology department such as CT scanners, x-ray and few ambulances were some of the challenges experienced. These were being overcome through providing psycho-social support, health education, sensitization and training VHTs. As a result of the findings, recommendations include: health facilities be equipped with all necessary equipment and the number of health workers be increased to meet the demand in the event of a landslide.