Natural disasters and COVID-19: health worker preparedness and response

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the preparedness of health workers individually and in the workplace to deal with natural disasters during COVID-19. Data collection was carried out by distributing online questionnaires through social media with a total number of respondents, namely 68 health workers. The research questionnaire was adapted from the COVID-19 Preparedness Checklist for Rural Primary Health Care and Community Settings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers' personal readiness to deal with natural disasters is still lacking. Primary health care and hospitals do not yet have adequate health facilities to deal with COVID-19, and in the case of a natural disaster, the situation will worsen.