Guidance for health sector assessment to support the post disaster recovery process

Overview

This document provides guidance to national and international stakeholders involved in the health sector part of the Post Disaster Needs Assessments (PDNA). It is complementary to the health chapter of the Handbook for Estimating the Socio-economic and Environmental Effects of Disasters and the Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA) methodology.

A main focus of the DaLA is to assess the financial impact of a disaster on the health sector for example in terms of infrastructure, equipment and furniture, medication, as well as unforeseen expenses, such as increased costs for emergency treatment of injuries, loss of revenues in health facilities and surveillance. A general objective for estimating recovery and reconstruction needs of the DaLA is to restore the pre-disaster situation. This guidance brings together all the elements that are needed to allow an integrated assessment including the health impact on the population, the impact on infrastructure, as well as an assessment on the performance of and access to health services and their management by national health authorities. This full analysis is needed to support the 'building back better' approach.