Earthquake Planning and Crisis Management with an Emphasis on the Facilities, Utilities, and Services of the Health Care Centers of Tiran and Karvan County, Isfahan Province, Iran: A Case Study

Objectives: Crisis management constitutes a key measure for reducing earthquake-induced injuries which most importantly revolves around preventing the consequences of natural disasters in the sense of minimizing risks and vulnerabilities. Health care centers (HCCs) are among the major institutions involved in crisis management whose capacities, limitations and weaknesses have to be identified and overcome to enable better disaster preparedness. Design: Descriptive- Analytical Study Setting: Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Cente and  Environment Health Department,   School of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran Intervention: Non-interventional Main outcome measure: The top crisis management strategies were identified and a number of strategies and solutions were proposed. Subjects: This was an analytical survey based on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of Tiran and Karvan County HCCs. Twenty quantitative and qualitative indicators were derived from the studied HCCs and analyzed using the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis technique. Results: The HCC utilities such as water, electricity, gas [1] , and heating and cooling systems were in average condition, whereas the facilities of the majority of HCCs were in vulnerable-to-average condition. In addition, they sustained relatively high degree of instability which calls for reassessment and effective policies to minimize weaknesses and eliminate threats using strengths and opportunities. Conclusions: It is recommended that the condition of Tiran and Karvan County HCCs be enhanced by distributing new HCCs based on the population density, expanding the road network and creating vast, wide-open spaces to enable field hospital construction in times of crisis.