Medical Rehabilitation in Natural Disasters in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Way Forward

The Asia-Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world, with over 40% of the world's disasters occurring here in the past decade. This region has geo-political and socio-economic diversity which increases vulnerability to natural and other disasters. With increasing frequency of natural disasters, there is greater focus on the role of rehabilitation in disaster response and management. Early rehabilitation and preventative care in disaster survivors has the potential to minimize complications, optimize early recovery and reduce the economic burden. This article presents an overview of medical rehabilitation status in natural disaster settings in the Asia-Pacific region. It highlights the role of medical rehabilitation in disaster response and management, potential challenges faced by the countries in the region and key initial perspectives which need consideration for future disaster planning. Rehabilitation and long-term management of disaster survivors requires diverse forms of multi-sectorial partnerships, strategic collaboration, provision of service development, research and knowledge transfer.