How the ARCH Project has Contributed to the Development of the ASEAN Regional Collaboration Mechanism on Disaster...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Disaster Management
• International Relations

Background:

• Disaster health management (DHM) requires robust regional collaboration mechanisms.
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) sought to strengthen its capacity in DHM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how the Project for Strengthening the ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management (ARCH Project) improved regional collaboration in DHM.

Main Methods:

• Review of the political processes and official documents related to the ARCH Project.

Main Results:

• Establishment of the Regional Coordination Committee on Disaster Health Management (RCCDHM) for strategic direction and coordination.
• Development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for International Emergency Medical Teams (I-EMTs) coordination, aligning with WHO EMT Initiative standards.
• Creation of regional tools for medical records and health needs assessment, and initiation of ASEAN Collective Measures.

Conclusions:

• The ARCH Project successfully enhanced the regional coordination platform for DHM in ASEAN.
• Formalization of the RCCDHM as ASEAN's official regional mechanism and integration of the EMT coordination SOP into ASEAN SASOP.