Asian Disaster Preparedness Center conducted a tabletop simulation exercise at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka as part of the USAID’s Strengthening Earthquake Resilience in Bangladesh (SERB) program this month.

More than fifty participants attended the exercise in each hospital including representatives from stakeholders such as the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine, Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, the Red Crescent Society, the Bangladesh Army and the police. Participants were mostly doctors, nurses and administrative personnel from the emergency and causality departments.

The overarching purpose of the exercise was to validate emergency response plans that have been developed for each hospital based on findings from recently completed risk assessments. The exercise was organized to assist the hospital authorities to efficiently manage operational plans and activate Hospital Incident Command Systems.

The simulation also addressed coordination mechanisms between departments and external first responders, such as the fire service, army and police, during earthquakes and other disaster events. The exercise was an opportunity for the hospitals to test their emergency response capacity and build their response systems.

ADPC through USAID's SERB program will continue to support the hospitals in six cities, including Chittagong, Dhaka, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Tangail, in building their capacity for large-scale emergency response.

Launched in June 2013, the SERB program supports the Government of Bangladesh to respond to and manage natural hazards through capacity building of emergency response agencies.


Doctors, nurses and hospital management tested the hospital’s preparedness plans for extraordinary events during the simulation.


The hospitals director's welcomed the participants to the simulation exercise.