chapter 4 - DRK

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Strictly under embargo until Wednesday 22 September at 00:01 GMT (02:01 Geneva time)75 per cent of the 6.2 million deaths estimated to have occurred in the region in 2005were related to chronic diseases. In urban settings, poorer people have access to cheaperfoods, which will often be less nutritious than more expensive varieties. It often costsless to eat badly.But the health problems of urban dwellers, particularly the poor, extend well beyondeating badly and doing little exercise when it comes to exposure to non-communicabledisease. In 2004, some 1.2 million people died from respiratory illnesses caused byoutdoor urban air pollution. According to WHO, some 1.5 billion urban dwellers– mostly in developing countries – face levels of air pollution that are above the maximumrecommended limits. Emissions from motor vehicles and factories are estimatedto cause about 8 per cent of lung cancer deaths, 5 per cent of cardiopulmonary deathsand about 3 per cent of respiratory infection deaths. This is likely to get worse as WorldBank projections indicate that motorized vehicles in cities will quadruple by 2050.Traffic kills and maims in large numbers. Around 90 per cent of the 1.3 million deathsa year attributable to road accidents occur in low- to middle-income countries.Indoor pollution can be even more lethal. About 25 per cent of city dwellers in developingcountries and 70 per cent of city dwellers in least developed countries use solidfuels for household heating and cooking. In 2004, exposure to indoor pollution wasestimated to cause about 2 million deaths worldwide, mostly from pneumonia, chroniclung disease and cancer.Box 5.2 Hi-tech rescue in a mega-cityImagine you are in charge of delivering muchof the emergency health services to a megacityof over 20 million people and 4 millionvehicles. It is a city so choked with traffic thatdrivers are only allowed take to the road onalternate days. There are 500,000 traffic accidentsa year, countless heart attacks and fires.How then do you meet the challenge ofproviding a 24/7 service, 365 days of theyear, with 1,100 staff and a fleet of just 153ambulances, each of which will normally respondto an average of five calls a day?The Beijing branch of the Red Cross Societyof China, led by Executive Vice President LuHan, has come up with a series of innovationsdesigned to maximize the use of limitedresources by applying technology to the provisionof ambulance services to a degree notseen in any other urban environment of its size.Speaking to the World Disasters Report during aRed Cross forum on urban risk at the ShanghaiExpo, she said: “Urban response has becomea priority in a crowded city. The Beijing RedCross 999 line responds to over 50 per cent ofthe emergencies in the city. In comparison withthe government’s 120 line, our 999 emergencyservices line offers more choices. We are morefocused on meeting the needs of our patients.For instance, we have 32 first-aid stations locatedin the traffic bureau’s branch offices to ensuretimely response to traffic accidents and there isalso close coordination with the fire brigade.”106
Strictly under embargo until Wednesday 22 September at 00:01 GMT (02:01 Geneva time)The Red Cross has 90 first-aid stationsthroughout the city and all its ambulances areequipped with GPS and closed circuit television.The command centre at headquarters alwaysknows where its ambulances are and theycan be diverted at a moment’s notice to thescene of a major accident. Doctors can assistremotely with the early treatment of seriously injuredpatients and ensure patients are broughtto the appropriate hospital department.In 2009, in pursuit of their goal of savingboth time and lives, they augmented their vehiclefleet with 50 motor bikes for first aiders whoare equipped with Personal Digital Assistants(or palmtops) and GPS. “Motorcycles canreach the patients very fast when there aretraffic jams. So we can make good use of thefirst four to six minutes after the call comes in,for this is the most precious period of time especiallyif the ambulance is going to be delayedby traffic,” said Han.In addition, she explained: “999 has aspecial programme for more than 200,000households in Beijing. If they press a certainbutton on their phone panel, 999 will beaware of the basic medical background of thefamily, medical records, address and phonenumber. These are usually families looking afteran elderly person.”The Chinese Red Cross has developed aunique mobile phone platform with many featuresnot found on standard models. The GPSequippedphones have proved useful to manyfamilies caring for a senile senior citizen lostin the city. The phones have an alarm buttonwhich will alert the Red Cross emergencycentre when activated without even making aphone call. The phones can vocalize text messagesfor those who have poor sight and actas a torch and they also have an in-built radio.A third generation of this mobile phone,which costs less than US$ 100, is now underdevelopment. It can dial 999 when activatedby an immobilized patient wearing a watchlikedevice on the wrist.The Beijing Red Cross provides many otherservices including helping victims of traffic accidentscompile insurance claims through the 999forensic centre’s reports and providing medicalcare to anyone being held in police custody.“Hi-tech equipment is only one aspect ofour work. In addition to the technology wehave also been focusing on increasing people’sknowledge, skills and general awarenessabout disaster risk reduction. The BeijingRed Cross issued 6 million copies of its familyfirst-aid manual in Beijing last year. More than3 million people had received basic first-aidtraining by the end of 2009. We will continueto enhance our smart power – strategic planningand management in order to build a saferand securer mega-city,” concluded Han.Visitors to one of the city’s most populartourist attractions, Tiananmen Square, will behappy to hear that there is a first-aid post andambulance stationed there 24/7. You are alsoin a city where more than 3 million peoplehave received basic first-aid training – so helpmay never be too far away. Mean streetsViolence is a serious risk to health in many large cities (see Chapter 4), whether it isRio de Janeiro, Los Angeles or the banlieues of Paris. Much of this violence is relatedto the illicit drugs business which largely depends on end users living in cities. Butthere are other urban factors such as social exclusion, xenophobia and marginalization,unemployment and alcohol abuse that also fuel violence.World Disasters Report 2010 – Focus on urban risk107
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214INDEXStrictly under embargo unti
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The International Federationof Red
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