Assessment of the implementation of emergency preparedness and response to health disasters in Babati town council, Manyara Tanzania

The aim of the study was to assess the implementation of the emergency preparedness and response to health disasters, taking Babati town as case study. The study employed a cross sectional design to measure the specific entity of interest. A purposive sampling technique was employed, whereby data were collected through in-depth interview with the key informants, questionnaires and documentary review, in order to gather all the information as it suited the purpose of this study. The study revealed that the contribution and performance of the of health facilities in preparedness and response to health related disasters was not satisfactory. The study showed preparedness against disasters was not given priority. Although there was the establishment of disaster committees at all level, weather forecast and the use of media to provide information, preparation of budget proposals have been taken as among the strengths of the Babati town council. In case of barriers, emergency and preparedness has not been given significant attention it deserved, disasters and emergency situations have been judged from recent experiences, low community trust of the disaster committee, budget insufficient, lack of enough manpower and transport, low civic education on disasters management and poor government response to disaster. The study also revealed that community awareness has been good because community has been taking immediate measures after disaster prediction information, there were well defined system of information, there were community initiatives for a long time, understanding of the indicators and threats of disasters by community, community reporting of the disasters and emergencies to respective areas, appearance and good response during emergencies and disasters. Generally, the findings of the study indicate the existence of government disaster management structures, but with unsatisfactory capacity to implement HSSP III on disaster preparedness measures desired over time. This study recommends that there should be improvement of training curricula for preparedness and emergencies at the community level and empowerment strategies. The district should have budget line for preparedness measures, improved communication patterns among all stakeholders and availability of preventive equipment.