Humanitarian Medical Response to the Syrian Arab Republic (April 7, 2013 to April 23, 2013)

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeyn Mahomed ◽  
Feroza Motara ◽  
Ahmed Bham
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
International Intervention ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
War Zone ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Syrian Arab Republic ◽  
Care Worker

AbstractThe Syrian Arab Republic is entrenched in a deadly civil war, plunging the country into a state of chaos. With 3.2 million refugees abroad, 7.6 million internally displaced persons, and more than 200,000 killed, humanitarian assistance and international intervention are in dire need.This report outlines the response to the Syrian humanitarian crisis by a South African-based nongovernmental organization (NGO). It describes the experiences of a health care worker, the patient profiles, and the lessons learned in a war zone.Responding to a nation in need is of paramount importance. In order to maximize the benefit conferred, the team should always attempt to implement measures that leave a lasting legacy.MahomedZ, MotaraF, BhamA. Humanitarian medical response to the Syrian Arab Republic (April 7, 2013 to April 23, 2013). Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(1):114–116.

Chicago Medical Response to the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti: Translating Academic Collaboration Into Direct Humanitarian Response

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Babcock ◽  
Carolyn Baer ◽  
Jamil D. Bayram ◽  
Stacey Chamberlain ◽  
Jennifer L. Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Networks ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Medical Teams ◽  
Chicago Medical ◽  
Collaborative Initiative

ABSTRACTOn January 12, 2010, a major earthquake in Haiti resulted in approximately 212 000 deaths, 300 000 injuries, and more than 1.2 million internally displaced people, making it the most devastating disaster in Haiti's recorded history. Six academic medical centers from the city of Chicago established an interinstitutional collaborative initiative, the Chicago Medical Response, in partnership with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Haiti that provided a sustainable response, sending medical teams to Haiti on a weekly basis for several months. More than 475 medical volunteers were identified, of whom 158 were deployed to Haiti by April 1, 2010. This article presents the shared experiences, observations, and lessons learned by all of the participating institutions. Specifically, it describes the factors that provided the framework for the collaborative initiative, the communication networks that contributed to the ongoing response, the operational aspects of deploying successive medical teams, and the benefits to the institutions as well as to the NGOs and Haitian medical system, along with the challenges facing those institutions individually and collectively. Academic medical institutions can provide a major reservoir of highly qualified volunteer medical personnel that complement the needs of NGOs in disasters for a sustainable medical response. Support of such collaborative initiatives is required to ensure generalizability and sustainability.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:169-173)

scholarly journals Total Quality Management (TQM): A Catalyst for Service Delivery in the South African Police Service

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Michael Reddy
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
South Africans ◽  
South African Police Service ◽  
War Zone ◽  
Constitutional Right ◽  
South African Police ◽  
Social And Cultural Factors ◽  
Policy Solutions

September 2014 marked the release of the 2013/14 crime statistics in South Africa by the National Commissioner of the SAPS and the Minister of Police. Does a sense of safety and security fill the atmosphere? Do most South Africans, investors, and tourists alike believe that the crime rate in South Africa is reflective of a war zone and that South Africa is in a quagmire that engenders irretrievable damage to the lives of the citizenry and the economy? It is accepted that crime is a conflation of a number of economic, social and cultural factors; hence as a reviewable point, can the SAPS ensure the development of unassailable and perpetual policy solutions, underpinned with the highest quality that provides a guarantee of the citizen’s basic constitutional right to freedom and life. This article reviews literature on TQM and extrapolates lessons learnt to the practical functioning of the SAPS with a view to provide a myriad of TQM principles that may be considered by SAPS Management; this could serve as a catalyst for an improved policing service in South Africa.

scholarly journals The effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups: A reflection on South African informal urban settlements

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethuel Ngcamu ◽  
Evangelos Mantzaris
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
South African ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
The South ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Negative Effect

Background: The economically vulnerable population, mostly black, especially those who are residing in precarious informal settlements are most susceptible to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Aim: To determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the socio-economic condition of the vulnerable groups in South Africa. It also attempts to reflect the government’s response strategies to provide help and services for the vulnerable communities who are considered to be most susceptible to the existing pandemic. Lastly, the response strategies of civil society groups and the challenges they are encountering in providing humanitarian assistance to indigent communities are explored.Setting: This is a reflective study where secondary data has been analysed and intertwined with the researchers’ experiences and insights of the South African informal settlements’ welfare.Methods: This article followed a reflective approach where the experiences of the vulnerable communities are strategically reflected upon.Results: This fascinating study unearthed the effects of the coronavirus disease on the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable communities, the economy of the informal sector, the brutal enforcement agencies during the lockdown period, criminality, the fragmented government response and the marginalisation and frustration of civil society groups in providing humanitarian assistance to those in need.Conclusion: The South African government’s fragmentations, bureaucratic, maladministration and corruption in public departments have adversely impacted the welfare of the vulnerable groups who are living in the informal settlements. The human rights violations by the security agencies which are directed to the indigent people, and the centralisation of the humanitarian efforts by government had a negative effect on their wellbeing.

scholarly journals Building resilience in the war zone against hidden injury

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cait McMahon
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Loss Of Life ◽  
War Zone ◽  
Building Resilience ◽  
Psychological Impacts ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Professional ◽  
Personal Skills

Commentary: Psychological impacts of covering trauma such as war, or indeed any disaster with loss of life and tragedy, have the capacity to challenge the media professional to develop professional and personal skills.  ‘Lessons learned’ from experience will enhance capacity considerably; however there are also the potential negative effects that can cause harm to some.  These effects are rarely spoken about in the newsroom, nor are they generally included in any useable detail when journalists undergo hazardous environment training.

An Effective Risk Minimization Strategy Applied to an Outdoor Music Festival: A Multi-Agency Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Luther ◽  
Fergus Gardiner ◽  
Shane Lenson ◽  
David Caldicott ◽  
Ryan Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Onset Date ◽  
Risk Minimization ◽  
Australian Capital Territory ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Music Festival ◽  
Australian Capital ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Risk Taking Behavior

Specific Event Identifiersa. Event type: Outdoor music festival.b. Event onset date: December 3, 2016.c. Location of event: Regatta Point, Commonwealth Park.d. Geographical coordinates: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia (-35.289002, 149.131957, 600m).e. Dates and times of observation in latitude, longitude, and elevation: December 3, 2016, 11:00-23:00.f. Response type: Event medical support.AbstractIntroductionYoung adult patrons are vulnerable to risk-taking behavior, including drug taking, at outdoor music festivals. Therefore, the aim of this field report is to discuss the on-site medical response during a music festival, and subsequently highlight observed strategies aimed at minimizing substance abuse harm.MethodThe observed outdoor music festival was held in Canberra (Australian Capital Territory [ACT], Australia) during the early summer of 2016, with an attendance of 23,008 patrons. First aid and on-site medical treatment data were gained from the relevant treatment area and service.ResultsThe integrated first aid service provided support to 292 patients. Final analysis consisted of 286 patients’ records, with 119 (41.6%) males and 167 (58.4%) females. Results from this report indicated that drug intoxication was an observed event issue, with 15 (5.1%) treated on site and 13 emergency department (ED) presentations, primarily related to trauma or medical conditions requiring further diagnostics.ConclusionThis report details an important public health need, which could be met by providing a coordinated approach, including a robust on-site medical service, accepting intrinsic risk-taking behavior. This may include on-site drug-checking, providing reliable information on drug content with associated education.LutherM, GardinerF, LensonS, CaldicottD, HarrisR, SabetR, MalloyM, PerkinsJ. An effective risk minimization strategy applied to an outdoor music festival: a multi-agency approach. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):220–224.

South African Foreign Policy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fritz Nganje ◽  
Odilile Ayodele
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
South African ◽  
Foreign Relations ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
The World ◽  
Role Conception ◽  
The Government

In its foreign policy posture and ambitions, post-apartheid South Africa is like no other country on the continent, having earned the reputation of punching above its weight. Upon rejoining the international community in the mid-1990s based on a new democratic and African identity, it laid out and invested considerable material and intellectual resources in pursuing a vision of the world that was consistent with the ideals and aspirations of the indigenous anti-apartheid movement. This translated into a commitment to foreground the ideals of human rights, democratic governance, and socioeconomic justice in its foreign relations, which had been reoriented away from their Western focus during the apartheid period, to give expression to post-apartheid South Africa’s new role conception as a champion of the marginalized interests for Africa and rest of the Global South. Since the start of the 21st century, this new foreign policy orientation and its underlying principles have passed through various gradations, reflecting not only the personal idiosyncrasies of successive presidents but also changes in the domestic environment as well as lessons learned by the new crop of leaders in Pretoria, as they sought to navigate a complex and fluid continental and global environment. From a rather naive attempt to domesticate international politics by projecting its constitutional values onto the world stage during the presidency of Nelson Mandela, South Africa would be socialized into, and embrace gradually, the logic of realpolitik, even as it continued to espouse an ethical foreign policy, much to the chagrin of the detractors of the government of the African National Congress within and outside the country. With the fading away of the global liberal democratic consensus into which post-apartheid South Africa was born, coupled with a crumbling of the material and moral base that had at some point inspired a sense of South African exceptionalism, Pretoria’s irreversible march into an unashamedly pragmatic and interest-driven foreign policy posture is near complete.

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