Japan, Indonesia, and Nepal are three of prone disaster country in Asia-Pacific region. The study found that when disaster occurred, despite regional, socio – culture, economic, type of disasters, and nursing system differences, people on the affected area in each country were helped each other to face the difficulties. Also, the study revealed that nurses have provided health care at community level.
Conducting by Yudi Chandra, Yuko Kawamura, Sushila Paudel, and Megumi Nishigawa, the study which titled as “Comparative investigation on value of mutual assistance for disaster risk reduction in Japan, Indonesia, and Nepal”, had been presented on 21st East Asian Forum of Nursing Scholars (EAFONS) and 11th International Nursing Conference (INC) in Seoul, South Korean on January 11 – 12, 2018. This international forum had connected nursing scholars, professional, and graduated students from all around the world, particularly East Asian country region, to share research finding, and creative and professional perspective on nursing care and leadership in promoting health care quality.
Coming as delegation from University of Kochi, Yuko Kawamura, Sushila Paudel, and Yudi Chandra, presented that mutual assistance played an important role in disaster situation. Until the arrival of governmental aid that could take several days or weeks due to infrastructural damages or other factors, people helped each other in evacuating vulnerable people and providing first aid. However, according to the findings, it was unclear whether nurses actually played a significant role in DRR, although nurses provided health care at community level. Therefore, they suggested nurses to improve their role in disaster management, by focusing on strengthening mutual assistance to enhance disaster risk reduction.
Various positive comments or feedbacks were received from other participants from different countries who saw the presentation. Participants from South Korean commented that this study very important to encourage nurses in around the world to be more aware to disaster issues, when it has been already predicted that number and intensity of disaster will increase in 2018. Participant from Philippine impressed this study and suggested to invite other nursing researcher from other prone disaster countries in Asian-Pacific region to comprehend the study.
During this conference, total there were four topics that presented by DNGL students, which one topic was from University of Kochi, two topics were from University of Hyogo, and one more topic was from Japanese Red Cross Collage of Nursing. This conference was important for DNGL students to expand their knowledge, skill, and international connection, where in the other hands it became a good opportunity for DNGL students to encourage nurse’s awareness to improve their role in disaster management.
(Reported by Chandra)
