Moving beyond the tsunami: the WHO story

Some dates and events are stamped forever in the world’s collective memory. 26 December 2004 is one such date, when hundreds of thousands of people were killed, and millions were affected, by a severe earthquake and tsunami. Among the countries affected were six Member States of WHO’s South-East Asia Region. The scale of devastation and the large number of people affected, across so many countries, was unprecedented. The disaster left in its wake formidable public health challenges which needed immediate response. These challenges, however, have been used as opportunities to improve health systems to address the needs of the people in the long term. As we move from the emergency phase to the rehabilitation phase, local health capacity and infrastructure have been fortified, and people trained to serve their communities better. “Moving beyond the Tsunami: The WHO story” narrates how the health needs of the affected people are being met. This book enables us to keep in mind the lessons learnt from the disaster, so that we may serve the people better.