Report Highlights Challenges in Disaster Health Management

Major challenges and barriers for successful management of health exercises in emergencies and disasters was published — shedding light on systemic weaknesses that hinder effective disaster‑health preparedness. The research involved interviews with 23 health‑sector managers and identified 170 distinct problems grouped under five main categories: organizational management; structural/administrative systems; ineffective policymaking; lack of cultural sensitivity & community participation; and weaknesses in how exercises are organized.
A crucial finding is instability in leadership and lack of expertise: many disaster‑management positions are held by individuals without relevant training or experience, which undermines long‑term planning and reduces motivation for critical preparedness exercises. In addition, financial constraints and insufficient resources (like communication systems, transport, medical equipment) often make it impossible to run realistic drills — meaning that preparedness remains more theoretical than practical.
The report also highlights a widespread reactive — rather than proactive — approach to disasters: policy and funding tend to emphasize responding to crises rather than preparing for them. Further, there is often little engagement with local communities: exercises are designed without involving NGOs, community groups, or consideration of cultural factors, limiting their relevance and effectiveness when disasters actually strike.