Vulnerable Groups Suffer More in Disasters: Suggestions Made to Expand the Current Definition of Disaster Vulnerable Population and Their Support

• ■Vulnerable population - physically, mentally, and socioeconomically - tends to suffer more when disasters strike.

• ■We need to expand the definition of disaster-vulnerable groups and strengthen psychological and medical support in disasters to protect their health.

• ■We need to produce accurate policy evidence by connecting and integrating 'disaster statistics' scattered across government agencies.

KIHASA has released the Health and Welfare Issue & Focus, No. 447, "Ways to Improve the Policies for Protecting the Health of Disaster-Vulnerable Populations," whose lead author is Dr. Kim, Dong-jin, a research fellow at the Department of Health Care Policy Research at KIHASA.

Currently, it is difficult to provide adequate prevention and post-disaster assistance to the disaster-vulnerable population groups because the Korean law on populations vulnerable to safety risks does not adequately cover these groups, Dr. Kim said. He emphasized that protecting the health of the disaster-vulnerable groups requires a redefinition, a new legal regime for their support, and strengthened policies to provide them with psychological and medical support.

Summary of the Brief

• ●A scoping review revealed that disaster victims suffer harm from disasters due to their physical, mental, social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities. Much of the health harm suffered by victims includes physicial and mental health problems, as well as changes in health behaviors caused by exposure to long-term disasters.
  
  

• ●Protecting people's health from disasters starts with identifying the priority target for protection. The current Korean law defines children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and low-income groups as vulnerable to safety risks. However, in order to prevent disaster-induced harm and provide adequate post-disaster assistance to those who are truly disaster-vulnerable, the scope of disaster-vulenrable populations in Korea's policy framework needs to be expanded.
  
  

• ●Protecting people from disaster-induced health hazards requires systematic support measures. In particular, helping disaster victims to recover their physical and mental health requires strengthening psychological support for disaster victims and improving their access to health care.