After the Emergency Response Ends, Who Will Care for Disaster Victims?
The emergency response period following the earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has been extended until 12 September 2026. This decision is vital to ensure that disaster management operations proceed effectively. However, questions remain regarding what must be prepared, what actions will be taken, who will execute them, and whether the necessary funding is available.
The end of emergency status does not mean that victims have recovered. Patients with fractures still require follow-up surgery and rehabilitation. Wounds still require monitoring. Persons with disabilities need functional recovery and assistive devices. Patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease continue to require medication. Pregnant women, infants, and children require continuous services. Psychological issues may even persist or emerge once the situation begins to stabilise. Other needs, such as housing, clean water, and transport access, must also be ensured.
At a time when these needs remain high, the pattern of assistance tends to shift. External aid decreases, medical teams return to their home regions, and emergency health service posts may even close. Logistics decline, and media coverage shifts to other news. Services then revert to being managed by the local health system. If the withdrawal of emergency capacity occurs faster than the recovery of local capacity, victims risk losing continuity of care. This gap must become a primary focus in post-disaster recovery, particularly regarding healthcare services.
Every disaster management activity must encompass the recovery stage. Universities and academics can serve as important actors in ensuring this transition runs smoothly. Health academics should not merely arrive as volunteers, researchers, or observers; they must help ensure that the services established during the emergency can continue as aid diminishes.
Law Number 24 of 2007 stipulates that disaster management includes pre-disaster, emergency response, and post-disaster stages. The post-disaster stage involves rehabilitation and reconstruction. Therefore, the success of disaster management cannot be measured solely by the number of evacuees, the number of health posts, or the speed at which field hospitals are established. A critical parameter is whether the health system functions truly recover and restore the health of the disaster-affected community.