The Children’s Hospitals in Africa Mapping Project (CHAMP) survey: Facilities, equipment, supplies, infrastructure, and capacity to respond to emergencies

The Children’s Hospitals in Africa Mapping Project (CHAMP) survey was developed and implemented to assess the capabilities of some of the best resourced sub-Saharan African hospitals serving children. The aim was to evaluate hospital facilities, infrastructure, equipment, supplies, services, staffing, and readiness to care for children amid public health emergencies. This report analysed a subset of survey questions that characterised the hospitals and assessed facilities, equipment, supplies, infrastructure and capacity to respond to emergencies and outbreaks. Twenty-four sites were recruited. Twenty hospitals from 15 countries completed the survey from 2018 to 2019. This portion of the CHAMP study identified issues with facilities, equipment, supplies, infrastructure, and the capacity to respond to emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks. On a day-to-day basis, most hospitals were operating at or near capacity and frequently experienced power outages and water shortages. Overall, most hospitals were ill-prepared to manage a major disaster or infectious disease outbreak. If countries are to be prepared to deal with current needs as well as to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to public health threats, hospitals that care for children will require significant investments.