How the ARCH Project has Contributed to the Development of the ASEAN Regional Collaboration Mechanism on Disaster Health Management.

Objective: This paper aims to clarify how the Project for Strengthening the ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management (ARCH Project) strengthened regional collaboration mechanisms on disaster health management (DHM) in ASEAN.

Methods: The political process and the relevant documents of the ARCH Project were reviewed.

Results: The ARCH Project established the Regional Coordination Committee as a coordination platform for providing strategic direction to the project and strengthening the regional coordination of DHM.

Impact of the ARCH Project on National Capacity Development on Disaster Health Management among the ASEAN Member States and Japan.

Objective: This report tries to capture the impact of the Project for Strengthening the ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management (ARCH Project) in each ASEAN Member State (AMS) and Japan as a result of the ARCH Project implementation since July 2016.

Methods: Impact on AMS: The analysis of the impact on AMS was based on a comparison of the impact of the project on management and coordination of Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs), and application of the project outcome in actual emergency operations compared to the previous status in each AMS.Impact on Japan: The history of the development of disaster medicine in Japan was reviewed, with an aim to analyze the impact of supporting AMS through the ARCH Project on Japan, and the possibility of bi-directional cooperation in the future.