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Barriers to Disaster Coordination: Health Sector Coordination in Banda Aceh following the South Asia Tsunami

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Richard M. Zoraster
Richard M. Zoraster*
Affiliation:
Intercommunity Emergency Medical Group, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital of Whittier, Whittier, California, USA
*
Richard M. Zoraster, MD, FAAEM Intercommunity Emergency Medical Group, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital of Whittier, 12401 East Washington Blvd., Whittier, CA 90602 USA E-mail: rzoraster@yahoo.com
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Abstract

Ecological disasters impact large populations every year, and hundreds of nongovernmental organizations, thousands of aid workers, and billions of dollars are sent in response. Yet, there have been recurring problems with coordination, leading to wasted efforts and funds. The humanitarian response to the December 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami in Asia was one of the largest ever, and coordination problems were apparent.

The coordination processes and attempts at coordination are discussed in this paper. Specific barriers to cooperation are discussed, such as weak leadership, the absence of accountability, the lack of credentialing, the diverse goals of the responding agencies, and the weaknesses in the coordination process itself.

Keywords

coordinationdisasterhumanitarianinternationalmanagementnon-governmental organization (NGO)relieftsunamiWorld Health Organization (WHO)
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 21 , supplement S1: Health Aspects of the 2004 Southeast Asia Earthquake and Tsunami , February 2006 , pp. S13 - S18
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2006

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