The Resilient Health Infrastructure (RHI) initiative, led by CDRI in collaboration with WHO India, addresses the vulnerability of health systems to disasters and climate change. Implemented in Sikkim, India. Sikkim is a region prone to earthquakes, floods, and glacial lake outburst floods.
The initiative developed a comprehensive framework focusing on hospital safety, infrastructure interdependencies, and community-level health resilience. Activities included six district-level capacity-building workshops, training over 500 stakeholders, rapid visual vulnerability assessments, and mock drills. A Policy Roadmap was drafted to guide long-term resilience planning, integrating disaster risk management into health infrastructure development.
The initiative’s success was evident during the 2023 GLOF event, where trained personnel responded effectively. Building on this pilot, CDRI plans to scale the RHI Programme globally, offering tools for risk assessment, technical support, and policy guidance, while emphasizing inclusivity, governance, and sustainable investment in resilient health systems.
Key points
- Disasters disrupt healthcare; resilient infrastructure ensures continued medical services.
- CDRI-WHO framework strengthens hospitals, systems, and community health resilience.
- Sikkim pilot included workshops, assessments, drills, and a policy roadmap.
- Over 500 stakeholders trained across six districts in Sikkim.
- Rapid Visual Vulnerability Assessments guided hospital disaster preparedness planning.
- RHI model is scalable globally, integrating resilience, inclusivity, and governance support.