Panel 2.15: Civil-Military Cooperation in Humanitarian Health Action

This is a summary of the presentations and discussion of Panel 2.15, Civil-Military Cooperation in Humanitarian Health Action of the Conference, Health Aspects of the Tsunami Disaster in Asia, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Phuket, Thailand, 04–06 May 2005. The topics discussed included issues related to civil-military collaboration in humanitarian health actions as pertain to the responses to the damage created by the Tsunami. It is presented in the following sections: (1) how effective civil-military cooperation can help health responses, including; (a) needs assessment; (b) coordination; (c) filling gaps; and (d) capacity (2) what was done well, and what could have been done better better; and (3) conclusions and recommendations. Conclusions and recommendations included: (1) the best coordination mechanisms for civil-military cooperation; and (2) suggested additions and improvements.