Department of Crisis Management Medicine

Hyogo Medical University has experience responding to disasters such as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the JR Fukuchiyama Line derailment accident, where in addition to providing medical care on-site, the hospital accepted 113 patients and provided medical care to the large number of injured and sick people, and has many staff members who have responded to actual disasters.

The word "disaster" is often seen these days. In times of disaster, medical care is also required to respond along with emergency services, rescue services, fire services, police, the Self-Defense Forces, and government agencies. Medical care is provided for the purpose of "reducing deaths and tragedies caused by preventable disasters, and preventing health damage" in cases of wide-area disasters such as major earthquakes, local disasters such as train accidents, and terrorism that cause many injuries and illnesses. The characteristic of medical care during disasters is that the balance between supply and demand for medical care collapses. In other words, medical care in peacetime is provided when there are sufficient people and materials, but medical care in disasters is provided when there are insufficient or no people or materials. Medical care in disasters requires the application of all kinds of knowledge and technology, as well as judgment, and this can only be achieved through training in daily medical practice and preparation in peacetime. In addition, in times of disaster, cooperation with multiple institutions such as many medical organizations and fire services is also an important activity. In a harsh environment, they must recognize their role as a member of a collaborative team, communicate with other medical institutions, fire departments, police, the Self-Defense Forces, government agencies, etc., and demonstrate the ability to coordinate and sometimes manage. Furthermore, we believe that it is necessary to not only respond to emergencies, but also to engage in activities aimed at early recovery and reconstruction from the early stages of a disaster, and to engage in preparations and educational activities aimed at improving regional disaster prevention capabilities and disaster response capabilities in peacetime.

In this course,
1. Hospital disaster prevention and disaster medical system development
2. Preparation of a pharmaceutical supply system in the event of a disaster
3. Building a crisis management system through medical digital transformation
4. Multi-professional and multi-agency collaboration during disasters
5. International health and medical activities during disasters
6. Regional Disaster Prevention Initiatives by Medical Institutions
With these themes in mind, we are working to develop medical care during disasters by lobbying government agencies and, as an academic institution, working to establish an academic discipline known as "disaster medicine," while conducting clinical practice, education, and research.
This course will continue to take on new challenges in order to respond to various disasters in the future.

*This course, which began in April 2023, is a donation course based on the nonprofit organization Peace Winds Japan. Peace Winds Japan was founded in 1996 and is a Japanese NGO (non-governmental organization) that supports people exposed to humanitarian crises and life crises caused by natural disasters or man-made factors such as conflict and poverty, both domestically and internationally. It has been active in 37 countries around the world to date, and in 2019 launched the medical emergency support project "ARROWS," which quickly rushes to areas affected by large-scale disasters and carries out rescue and life-saving activities. It continues to challenge itself as a social innovation platform that does its utmost to solve social issues at the forefront.