Primary health care vs. emergency medical assistance : A conceptual framework

Primary Health Care (PHC) and emergency medical assistance (EMA) are discussed as two fundamentally different strategies of delivering health care. PHC is conceptualized as part of overall development, while EMA is delivered in disaster or emergency situations. The article contrasts the underlying paradigms, and the characteristics of care in PHC and EMA. In then analyzes the characteristics of PHC and EMA health services, their structure, management and support systems. In strategic aspects, it contrasts how managerial and financial sustainability are fundamentally different, and how the term accountability is used differently in development and disaster situations. However, while PHC and EMA, development and disaster, are clear opposite poles, many field situations in the developing world are today somewhere in-between. In such non-development, non-emergency situations, the objectives and approach will have to vary and anadapted strategy combining characteristics from PHC and EMA will have to be developed. (AU)

Hurricane Keith health rapid assessment report

Hurricane Keith remained wobbing over the islands of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker for approximately 72 hour, affecting also the Belize, Orange Walk and Corozal Districts, where it downgraded to a tropical storm late October 2, 2000. Four of the six districts of Belize were seriously affected by Hurricane Keith. Approximately 72,092 persons have been directly affected and will be at risk of heath impairmentd due to Hurricane keith (AU)

Alojamientos temporales Municipio de Calarca - Quíndio, Colombia

El informe presenta los resultados de la visita que sobre el terreno se llevó a cabo en el municipio de Calarcá donde la OPS ejecuta un proyecto en "desarrollo humano sostenible para el logro de un Municipio saludable". Así mismo describe brevemente el resultado del Taller sobre manejo de alojamientos temporales para autoridades locales y ONG's que operan en el área; presenta algunas conclusiones y recomendaciones de fondo para el mejoramiento de la calidad de vida de las personas en los alojamientos.(AU)

Peut - on célébrer le 50 anniversaire des Conventions de Genéve ?

The author raises the rather daunting question of whether it is possible to justify celebration of the Geneva Conventions despite the enormous suffering caused by war which those Conventions are supposed to prevent. What can international humanitarian law achieve under the present circunstances?. He goes on to present the project, called "People on war" that the ICRC has launched to mark the anniversary. the purpose of this unique initiave is to meet people who have been through war and ask them to share their personal experiences with conflict and to say should be available for the 27th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Cres-cent, to be held in Geneva later this year (AU)

The acute stress disorder scale : A tool for predicting post-traumatic stress disorder

The major disorder that develops following a disaster is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A though most people display PIDS symptoms in the initial weeks after a trauma more than half of these people recover without any intervention in the following three months. This article describes a project whose aim was to develop a self-report measure that would predict subsequent PTSD, and presents the results of three studies that evaluated the content and concurrent validity, reliability, and predictive ability of the Acute Stress Disorder Scale