Individual and International Response to Disasters Essay

Individual and International Response to Disasters - Essay Example The response towards major humanitarian disasters such as the deadly tsunami that struck Asia in December 2004 leaving approximately 200,000 people dead, scores of hundreds missing and property worth millions of dollars in damages has, no doubt, been massive (UN/ISDR par 4). From donations to volunteer services outpouring from all corners of the world, the responses with respect to the 21st century humanitarian crises without a sense of denial, have been commendable but not sufficient. Yet, the role of the media, an integral component of communication parameters, appears to be less than equal to the task of coercing the entire process with the right buttons; evidence points to synergies directed in the aftermath rather than in the preventive mechanisms. By definition, a disaster [according to the United Nations] refers to a sudden, adverse, disruptive event to the normal functioning of the society with intolerably widespread losses beyond the ability of the affected using the availab le resources (UN DHA/IDNDR 27). Whether man made or natural, disasters are catastrophic, instantaneous, indiscriminate in character, and more so, occur without warning thereby making adjustments efforts difficult. To be sure, man has known disasters for ages. Human suffering induced by floods and/or famines are but tales that have defied generational with deleterious damages that enjoins precious life in a long list of loses. Though helpful, the technological improvements have more than detached man from nature and made the modern era disaster occurrences even more frequent and perilous with partly irreparable consequences. Individual and international agencies/organizations respond to disasters as a show of care gesture and/or to assist in situations where facilities and resources are genuinely inadequate in addressing the humanitarian needs of the affected populations. The assistance normally ranges from immediate to long-term efforts designed to save lives of those in danger and subsequently lessen or alleviate altogether any form of suffering (â€Å"23 Principles of Humanitarian Donorship† par 3). It is worth mentioning that no single actor can successfully meet the facets of a relief/recovery without help. Indeed from the survivors’ needs spanning from health risks [nutrition and emergency shelters, for instance], to livelihood reconstructions, international disaster responses would be verily incomplete without the combinative effort from various specialized actors beginning with the affected government entities, intergovernmental organizations [the UN agencies, to be precise], nongovernmental organizations [both the domestic and the international], the Red Cross, and more importantly the support of the affected civilian populations. Nonetheless, while these actors respond uniquely in some way to humanitarian disasters, not all stretch their efforts to the ultimate objective, thus making disasters rightly multi-phased emergencies where actor s only make contributions towards a desired end. Coordinated collaboration among actors is thus vital in combining specific knowledge, skills, experiences as well as technologies. While it is almost certain that these resources will ultimately meet towards the course discussed herein, quite a number of factors [argued below] determine their supply. Factors that Influence Individual and International Response to Disasters Extreme events such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the more recent Hurricane Sandy in the United States did produce catastrophic impacts with long-term disruption of socio-economic systems. With the exception

Psychiatric Hospitals in Ireland Research Paper

Psychiatric Hospitals in Ireland - Research Paper Example The call for uniformity of care for psychiatric illnesses has been fostered by several legislations across countries, and the current trend is to foster care increasingly in the community in collaboration with the family [2]. Despite that, there are certain conditions where there is a need to detain the patient in the mental health hospitals with forceful and involuntary admission, where coercion plays an important role. Admission against the will of the patient is an ethically unsound area of practice; and therefore law directs the process. Within the legal framework, the mental health professionals thus exercise their power to detain or incarcerate the patients with an adequate indication permitted by law. The problems or debates arise when there is observed diversity in psychiatric practice, and the heterogeneity of sociocultural environment and differences in professional attitudes towards mentally ill people, all may influence a decision regarding involuntary admission [3]. This has been contributed to by lack of reliable markers of psychiatric diagnoses and management plan for them. The admission to a psychiatric healthcare facility in Ireland may be involuntary, although till now, the vast majority of such admissions are voluntary. Involuntary admission means the patient does not freely agree for the treatment or admission to an inpatient psychiatric unit. The other part of such admission may be that even though the patient agrees for a voluntary admission, there may be detention of these patients into the units in that they are not completely free to leave psychiatric care on their free will. Thus this leads to a detention beyond volition, and detailed rules, regulations, and laws guide such principles. The Irish mental health policies regarding involuntary admission or detention are governed by the Irish Mental Health Act of 2001 and have been in full implementation since November 2006 and all psychiatric facilities including public and private are under its regulations. According to this act, the psychiatric hospitals and units need to be registered as appr oved psychiatric centres, and those hospitals and inpatient units which were providing care to people with psychiatric illnesses at the time of implementation of this law will be considered approved by November 2009. The mental health act 2001 sets out the criteria for involuntary admission to these approved centres for persons suffering from mental disorders. This act also creates provision for independent review of the involuntary admissions of such persons [4]. In a short summary, this act recommends involuntary admissions and detention in an approved psychiatric centre due to psychiatric disorder. The main scenarios or conditions that may cause involuntary admission are personality disorder, social deviance, drug addiction, and intoxication. Although psychiatric patients have their own rights, this act implies that involuntary admission is for the patients' own interests in care and treatment through appropriate examination findings of the psychiatrists, where all information will be revealed to the patients, and in case of incoherence, the tribunal may review such decisions where sometimes the court of law may interfere if appeals are made. These principles are also