Medical Preparedness for Disasters

Excerpt

In the December issue of this journal, Dr. Orient (1) reviewed the planning in several countries for medical responses to disasters. In this thought-provoking article, the author illustrates an increased risk of incidents with mass casualties by referring to the recent Bhopal accident. She points out that there has been little progress in our capacity to respond to medical disasters for many years. She identifies disaster preparedness as a component of civil defense programs. Her article then reviews the medical elements of the civil defense programs of Switzerland and the U.S.S.R., describing in some detail how they were principally designed