Hospital preparedness and response to the Freetown oil tanker explosion - A case study of A Tertiary Hospital in Sierra Leone

Abstract

Oil tanker explosions are a fairly common cause of disaster in sub–Saharan Africa. These disasters may have secondary effects on health  service delivery due to collapse of routine health service provision as staff  concentrate on taking care of the disaster victims. This might  suggest that our hospitals and health systems are  not fully prepared to cope with these situations. The article aims to share our  experience in managing tanker explosions in terms of disaster preparedness and  response, access to drugs and medical supplies, access  to laboratory facilities and the medical and surgical  problems commonly encountered as well as possible recommendations.