Compared to other groups, vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly, people with disabilities, and institutionalized patients (living in hospitals and nursing and retirement facilities), experience heavier disaster burdens that prevent the normal pro- vision of health services. To date, only limited legislation gov- erning the provision and prosecution of specific mechanisms to protect the health of hospitalized/institutionalized patients during major disasters have been enacted. The establishment of a disaster-specific legal foundation to support the decision-making process and the necessary protective infrastructure, which should be developed in collaboration with medical professionals, as well as individuals with ethical and legal expertise, is a prerequisite to the protection of such populations during and after disasters. Japan, a disaster-prone country, has been continuously addressing and strengthening disaster risk management efforts, risk reduction frameworks, and relevant policies. In Japan, the Basic Act on Disaster Management (BADM) is the foundation of all pre- and post-disaster manage- ment efforts. Recently, the focus of this law has shifted toward the protection of the health of vulnerable populations during disasters. The BADM was enacted in 1961 in response to the Isewan Typhoon (Typhoon Vera) in 1959, which killed 5089 people, and injured 38 921 individuals. The Japanese government has been amend- ing the BADM almost annually to improve its disaster response. The first major amendment was made after the Great Hanshin (Osaka–Kobe) Earthquake (GHE) in 1995. This disaster’s impact on vulnerable populations was particularly severe, since more than half of the deaths occurred among the elderly. Based on the lessons learned from its experiences with the GHE, the Japanese govern- ment improved disaster risk management legislation by coordinating the expansion of the administrative function of the Emergency Response Headquarters and including steps to support vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and people with disabilities....
Language: en
LA - en SN - 2047-2978 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7189/jogh.11.03108 ID - ref1 ER -