Sudden Death: A Humanitarian Disaster Worker Perspective

Humanitarian workers manage sudden death on a large scale, particularly where famine, disease, and man-made or natural disaster impact on a country’s infrastructure. Health services are minimal and human medical resource scarce, so establishing health care facilities is a matter of improvisation frequently compounded by massive migration patterns. Most humanitarian effort is focused on countries classified as eligible for Overseas Development Assistance though some situations impact on developed nations. This chapter focuses on how cultural and religious norms are upheld when working in sudden death scenarios.