Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern Thailand
Hospitals require continuous access to water to sustain essential health services, especially when resources are taxed when drought conditions are compounded with other public health emergencies. In mid-2020, we conducted a rapid assessment of 71 hospitals in northern Thailand to evaluate water use...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Urban Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/240 |
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| author | Alan D. Ziegler Kampanat Wangsan Phadungpon Supinit Manoj Potapohn |
| author_facet | Alan D. Ziegler Kampanat Wangsan Phadungpon Supinit Manoj Potapohn |
| author_sort | Alan D. Ziegler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hospitals require continuous access to water to sustain essential health services, especially when resources are taxed when drought conditions are compounded with other public health emergencies. In mid-2020, we conducted a rapid assessment of 71 hospitals in northern Thailand to evaluate water use and resilience during the concurrent 2019–2020 drought and the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. While most hospitals reported adequate water availability, many depended on short-term measures such as shallow wells and improvised storage. Water use per bed often exceeded international benchmarks, reflecting broader usage patterns that extend beyond potable consumption. Community hospitals, in particular, reported more limited backup supply and planning capacity. Drawing on both our findings and international guidance, we propose the Hazard Management Model, involving a set of recommendations to strengthen hospital water resilience, including hazard-specific planning, protected infrastructure, emergency storage, and improved efficiency. These insights contribute to the growing body of work on climate-adaptive healthcare, particularly in resource-constrained settings facing intensifying multi-hazard risks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d18cfc2efbd24c3db346300e1390442b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-d18cfc2efbd24c3db346300e1390442b2025-08-20T03:32:16ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512025-06-019724010.3390/urbansci9070240Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern ThailandAlan D. Ziegler0Kampanat Wangsan1Phadungpon Supinit2Manoj Potapohn3Andaman Coastal Research Station for Development, Kasetsart University, Ranong 85120, ThailandDepartment of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandIndependent Researcher, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandFaculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandHospitals require continuous access to water to sustain essential health services, especially when resources are taxed when drought conditions are compounded with other public health emergencies. In mid-2020, we conducted a rapid assessment of 71 hospitals in northern Thailand to evaluate water use and resilience during the concurrent 2019–2020 drought and the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. While most hospitals reported adequate water availability, many depended on short-term measures such as shallow wells and improvised storage. Water use per bed often exceeded international benchmarks, reflecting broader usage patterns that extend beyond potable consumption. Community hospitals, in particular, reported more limited backup supply and planning capacity. Drawing on both our findings and international guidance, we propose the Hazard Management Model, involving a set of recommendations to strengthen hospital water resilience, including hazard-specific planning, protected infrastructure, emergency storage, and improved efficiency. These insights contribute to the growing body of work on climate-adaptive healthcare, particularly in resource-constrained settings facing intensifying multi-hazard risks.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/240hospital managementsustainable water usedrought resilienceCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Alan D. Ziegler Kampanat Wangsan Phadungpon Supinit Manoj Potapohn Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern Thailand Urban Science hospital management sustainable water use drought resilience COVID-19 |
| title | Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern Thailand |
| title_full | Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern Thailand |
| title_fullStr | Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern Thailand |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern Thailand |
| title_short | Hospital Resilience in a Multi-Hazard Era: Water Security Planning in Northern Thailand |
| title_sort | hospital resilience in a multi hazard era water security planning in northern thailand |
| topic | hospital management sustainable water use drought resilience COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/240 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alandziegler hospitalresilienceinamultihazarderawatersecurityplanninginnorthernthailand AT kampanatwangsan hospitalresilienceinamultihazarderawatersecurityplanninginnorthernthailand AT phadungponsupinit hospitalresilienceinamultihazarderawatersecurityplanninginnorthernthailand AT manojpotapohn hospitalresilienceinamultihazarderawatersecurityplanninginnorthernthailand |