ANNOUNCEMENTS
This study addresses the urgent need for flood resilience in healthcare facilities (HCFs) in Kerala, India—an increasingly climate-vulnerable region. Despite global and national frameworks like the WHO Hospital Safety Index and NDMA guidelines, there remains a lack of region-specific tools to assess hospital preparedness for floods.
To bridge this gap, a thematic literature review of forty-seven key documents identified indicators across four domains: Infrastructure, Healthcare Workforce, Communication, and Surge Response & Capacity. These informed the development of a context-sensitive assessment tool, which was pilot tested in eleven healthcare facilities across Kerala.
Findings revealed major gaps in workforce preparedness, communication, and continuity planning, despite some progress in logistics and infrastructure post-2018 floods. Inclusive communication, mental health support, and emergency protocols were notably weak. The role of community health workers and civil society remains underleveraged.
This study offers a replicable assessment tool and policy-relevant insights for climate-resilient health systems, emphasizing the need for both structural upgrades and systemic reforms.
Keywords: Disaster Resilience, Healthcare Facilities, Flood Resilience, Assessment, India, Kerala.
