Designing a Surveillance System to Monitor the Adverse Health Effect of Environmental Disasters: A Case Study of Drying Lake Urmia-Iran

Abstract

Background Through designing a surveillance system, steps to policy making and designing measures needed to reduce the potential risks of environmental disasters on human health could be taken. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a model for Environmental Disasters Diseases Surveillance System (EDDS) to monitor Adverse Health Effects (AHEs) of Environmental Disasters (AHEEDs). Methods As the first step, the literature review was conducted to identify the AHEEDs. Then, using the results of the first step and analyzing the existing documents, the AHEEDs were identified, and, based on the experts’ opinions, high-priority effects were included in the EDDS. Then, using semi-structured interviews, 20 experts’ views on the appropriate model of EDDS were investigated. To design the initial model, a panel of experts was formed with six participants. Finally, the Delphi technique was used for expert opinion and model finalization. Results As a result of the literature review and document analysis, 41 hazards/diseases were identified. Finally, ten diseases were suggested to enter the EDDS. In the experts’ view, it is better that communicable diseases be reported actively and urgently and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) actively and non-urgently. From the participants’ point of view, the most significant achievements of the EDDS can be organizational and managerial, health promotion, and economic achievements. Conclusion Developing a dedicated EDDS for AHEEDs can be very helpful for better management of these effects. To this end, the model proposed in this study can serve as a guide for national and local policymakers to implement surveillance systems for AHEEDs.

Developing a public-private partnership framework for managing the adverse health effects of environmental disaster (a case study of Lake Urmia – Iran)

“…Some weaknesses and difficulties include Lack of infrastructure, weak management, faulty monitoring and evaluation, bad contracts with the private sector, the weak structure of reimbursement, the intervention of politicians in health, interference of the public sector in the processes after the outsourcing, unwillingness of the public sector to hand over to the private sector, etc. (Gharaee et al 2019(Gharaee et al , 2022Azami-Aghdash et al 2020;Tabrizi et al 2020;Hojatolah & Saber 2021;Saber Azami et al 2022). Given the positive achievements and results of PPP in different sectors, especially the health sector in other countries (Comendeiro-Maaloe et al 2019;Hamalainen et al 2019;Palaco et al 2019), officials, policymakers, and experts in the field are expected to plan and make a great effort to utilize the potential and capacities of the private sector.…”

“…The occurrence of any disaster, especially environmental disasters, imposes enormous costs on the public sector. In the study of Gharaee et al (2022), which was conducted to design a surveillance system for managing AHEs of drying of Urmia lake, the diseases that could be created included mental disorders, respiratory diseases, eye problems, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, allergic reactions, goiter, malnutrition, anemia, vectorborne diseases, soil-borne diseases, liver diseases, systemic diseases, water and foodborne diseases, neurological problems, epigenetic effects and airborne diseases respectively (Gharaee et al 2022). Many governments, especially in low-and middle-income countries, cannot afford and pay for such costs.…”