Health emergencies can place hospitals under severe pressure, requiring them to remain safe and functional and able to maintain essential services during crises. Uzbekistan is taking important steps to strengthen hospital resilience and preparedness for a range of hazards, with particular attention to earthquakes and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents.
To support these efforts, WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, is launching a broader hospital preparedness initiative. The initiative will combine the WHO Hospital Safety Index (HSI), which assesses hospital safety and preparedness, with the future development of Hospital Emergency Response Plans (H-ERPs) that translate identified gaps into practical actions.
The initiative will be launched through an online webinar on 12 August 2026. The webinar will introduce the overall approach, outline national priorities and explain how hospital safety assessments will inform future emergency response planning.
This will be followed by an in-person HSI workshop from 23–25 August 2026 for representatives of selected pilot hospitals. Through technical sessions, group work and a field visit, participants will learn how to apply the HSI methodology; assess structural, non-structural and emergency-management capacities; and identify priority actions to strengthen hospital safety and preparedness.
During the workshop, participants will also complete the HSI tool for their own hospitals. By the end of the workshop, the assessments will provide an initial picture of the safety and preparedness of participating hospitals, including key strengths, gaps and areas requiring further action.
The findings will support a consolidated analysis of hospital preparedness and provide an evidence base for future H-ERP development and the potential expansion of the initiative across Uzbekistan.