Kontakt 2008, 10(1):32-37 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2008.004

Health care as one of subjects of critical infrastructure in the Czech RepublicNursing

Jaroslava Kaňková

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie

The contribution first elucidates the concept of the critical infrastructure. The problem of the critical infrastructure is reflected in the compilation of crisis plans. The protection of the critical infrastructure is implemented by technical, personal and organisational measures aimed at preventing failures of the function of critical infrastructure and enhancement of the resistance of subjects against these failures and at possible alternative solution for solving actual failures of the function. The contribution is particularly focused on one of subjects of the critical infrastructure, which is the health care. The health care is a system of the state, which should be ready to face all the risks and threatens of the contemporary world based on activities of administrative organs having their competence in health care but also in cooperation with citizens as providers of the first aid. A mutual cooperation should be functional between the subjects considered. The health care system is expected to be also ready to provide the health care in emergency situation, which bring, in addition to other aspects of the endangerment of the safety, situations of mass health involvements. The Ministry of Health as a central authority of the state administration in the sector establishes the target condition for its safety strategy (strategy of crisis management) named the crisis readiness of the health care system. The concept of the crisis readiness of the health care system in the Czech Republic delimits principal task for providing the crisis readiness of the whole health care system in five areas - legal environment, manager environment, expert environment, providing of material sources and preparation of human sources. Within the framework of the state safety system, this subject must be ready to face risks and threatens of the contemporary world, particularly due to the presence of mass destruction weapons - CBRN, terrorism, natural disasters, industrial and traffic accidents and further extraordinary events. The article delimits tasks of the Czech Republic health care system and its connection to the crisis management.

Keywords: interoperability; critical infrastructure; crisis readiness of health care system; health care

Received: March 17, 2008; Accepted: April 30, 2008; Prepublished online: June 27, 2008; Published: July 27, 2008  Show citation