Abstract
In accordance with the development of society and the concentration of population into urban areas, disasters have involved more and more people globally. In the first half year of 2008, more than 230,000 people were killed by natural disasters and about 130 million were affected. About 10 million are living outside of their homeland as refugees and about 20 million as IDPs (Internally Displaced People). Humanitarian aid is offered from various international organizations, governmental organizations and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to save the lives of the disaster victims, and emergency medical relief service is considered to be one of the most important issues of humanitarian aid. However, there are many difficulties and problems on its actual performance especially when it is provided from foreign countries. They are; late arrival of medical assistance team from overseas, difficulty to grasp the real needs of the victims, duplication and sometimes competition of activities among different groups, dissociation from the local medical service plan of rehabilitation and development phase, and ineffective cost performance etc. UN (United Nations) organizations and international medical NGOs concerned are listed and introduced in this paper along with the Japanese NGOs extending emergency medical relief services after disasters. Sphere project which explains minimum standard of humanitarian relief and code of conduct that the international humanitarian workers and groups should respect and the guideline of humanitarian aid from international red-cross are also introduced in this paper. When we are exposed to unassuming expression of appreciation for medical services from disaster affected people of developing countries, we can receive utmost sense of satisfaction and happiness to be the medical profession. Despite the difficulties above written, humanitarian medical aid is considered to be one of the most important means of international contribution to developing countries from Japan which has scarce natural resources and relying heavily upon import from overseas for food and other essential natural products. Therefore, humanitarian aid is one of the important issues of “human security” from both side of the view of developing countries and our country.
