SMX Convention Center • Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines • 23-26 April 2009
Integrating Risk
Management
in Architectural
Designing and
Planning
“Integrating Risk Management in Architectural Designing
and Planning” provides a background of the common hazards
affecting various places in the Philippines that resulted to major
emergencies or disasters. This is aimed at imparting knowledge
regarding the hazard prone areas and that such hazards may be
avoided or given basic considerations in planning and designing
infrastructures most especially in terms of location and design
selection for health facilities like hospitals. This is exemplified by
a decision of building concrete infrastructures or hospitals on
an elevated area outside the danger zone of Mayon Volcano
because of the risk reduction plan intended in preparation to
the frequent occurrence of volcanic eruption, typhoon, and the
resultant flood.
The presentation emphasized the vital significance of
integrating “Risk Management Approach” in any form of
planning and developmental initiatives. Identifying the hazards
and analyzing the specific vulnerabilities of the communities
potentially affected, can help in anticipating the probable risks,
and building capacities to manage such risks. The capacity
building strategies include facility or safe physical infrastructure
development.
Finally, the presentation includes the advocacy of the
Department of Health (DOH) regarding its plight for “Hospitals
Safe from Disaster”. DOH extensively exerts efforts in its advocacy
campaign to divert the attention of all engineers and architects
to face the multiple challenges of building “Hospitals Safe
from Disasters”. The campaign presses on the issue that “Risk
Management Approach” much play primary consideration in
building hospitals from the planning stage, to the designing, and
even up to the final occupancy stage so that multi-level safety will
be observed, implemented, and monitored.
78
Dr. Carmencita “Baby” Banatin is
presently the Director III of the Health
Emergency Management Staff of the
Department of Health, the primary office
responsible for the Management of Health
Emergency and Disaster. She had been
in the program since 1994 by being once
a Program Manager which developed
her into more than just a Technical Expert
in Health Emergency Management but
rather a Guru that knows its helms.
She had widened her capacity
horizon in Health Emergency
Management through attendance to
several local and international training
and had likewise shared her expertise in
different fields. As a Temporary Adviser
of the WHO, she has attended various
consultative meetings related to health
emergency management, and served
as a technical resource, facilitator, and
instructor in Thailand, Japan, Vietnam,
China and Geneva, Switzerland. Last year,
she was designated as the Chairperson
of the Regional TWG on Contingency
Planning, Preparedness, and Response in
Environmental Health Emergencies.
As one of the strong pillars in the
development and institutionalization of a
National Health Emergency Preparedness
and Response Office in the Department
of Health, she continuously labors towards
fulfilling a vision of developing it as
the Asia’s model in health emergency
management. She had authored and co
– authored several books and publications
like the Indicators for Safe Hospitals,
Manual on Treatment Protocol, and the
revision of the Manual of Guidelines for
Hospitals; to name a few. And finally,
as a Policy and Reforms Advocate in
the Philippines on Health Emergency
Management she was instrumental
in the signing and dissemination, and
implementation of the Legal Mandates on
the Institutionalization of HEMS at all levels
of the government.