07 April 2009 Environmental Health & Climate Change World Health Organization Dear All, Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South East Asia requests you to join the “click a brick” campaign for safe hospitals. We call on you to help us spread the word of this public health issue to your colleagues and friends. Through this system we can be advocates for health facilities that are structurally resilient to hazards with nonstructural elements that will stay intact in case of an emergency and which will be functionally prepared to treat patients in urgent. The South East Asia Region is highly vulnerable to disasters which have caused more than half a million deaths in the last decade. But we should not forget that health facilities also become casualties of disasters. This is what we are trying to prevent. Let us join hands to spread awareness on this issue so that health professionals, architects, engineers, governments, civil society, international, regional and national organizations, academics and the public itself can speak with a stronger voice to say that only safe hospitals can save lives. Please visit directly http://www.clickabrick.org or http://www.searo.who.int for more information. Thank you for your support. Save lives: make hospitals safe in emergencies http://www.searo.who.int/worldhealthday2009 Alexander von Hildebrand Regional Advisor Environmental Health & Climate Change World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia Ring Road, New Delhi 110002, India E-mail: Hildebranda@searo.who.int Tel: ++.91.11.233.09.505 Website: www.searo.who.int/fcspublications Think climate change before you print