'Modify hospitals to make them disaster resistant'

New Delhi, March 13: Keeping the mass destruction in the recent Chilean earthquake in mind, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Saturday said that all existing healthcare infrastructure like hospitals should be modified with new technology to make them disaster resistant.

At a workshop that was attended by disaster management professionals and healthcare officials in the capital, Gen. (retd) N.C. Vij, vice chairman of the NDMA, said: "Past experiences in India and across the world show that most essential healthcare services become non-functional in the face of a disaster and the best of the buildings are left unfit for use."

"Therefore there is an immediate need to focus on importance of structural and non-structural retrofitting of the healthcare infrastructure in the country," he added.

Vernon Madez, a seismic expert from the US, said: "Calamities including earthquake, floods and cyclones damage non-structural parts of a building like partitions, doors and electrical connections which leads to failure. Therefore they should be laid as per earthquake resistant construction practices."