South American Countries Carry Out First Virtual Hospital Emergency Response Simulation with SIMEXamericas

Washington D.C., 16 September 2025 (PAHO) - On Friday, September 12, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) facilitated the first virtual simulation exercise focused on hospital response to health emergencies and disasters (H-RESPONDEX-LAC25), using SIMEXamericas.

SIMEXamericas is a collaborative virtual tool that allows simulation exercises focused on emergency, disaster, and pandemic response. The tool allows SIMEX to be adapted to a virtual or hybrid environment and facilitates the direct interaction of participants by performing tasks and exchanging messages in real time and asynchronously.

The exercise aimed to test the implementation of the Hospital Incident Command System (SCI-H) and the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for triage and victim care, communications, and logistical support in response to a simulated building collapse scenario involving multiple casualties.

The simulation focused on assessing hospital capacities to manage a mass influx of patients, optimizing critical (SCI-H) processes such as call chains, internal hospital coordination and communication, emergency planning, SOP activation mechanisms, triage and victim classification, interagency communication with health networks and local authorities, and the strategic distribution of resources through logistical support rings.

Este ejercicio tuvo la participación del personal que conforma el Sistema de Comando de Incidentes hospitalarios, así como tomadores de decisiones de las áreas responsables de emergencias de los hospitales de cinco países: Hospital de Niños Pedro de Elizalde (Argentina), Hospital Padre Hurtado (Chile), Hospital El Tintal y Hospital Universitario Fundación Valle del Lili (Colombia), Hospital General Docente de Calderón (Ecuador) y Hospital de Emergencias de Villa El Salvador (Perú). Además, se contó con el acompañamiento de representantes de las oficinas de emergencias de los respectivos países y evaluadores y observadores regionales.

The exercise included personnel from the Hospital Incident Command System (SCI-H), along with decision-makers from the emergency departments of hospitals in five countries: Pedro de Elizalde Children's Hospital (Argentina), Padre Hurtado Hospital (Chile), El Tintal Hospital and Fundación Valle del Lili University Hospital (Colombia), Calderón Teaching General Hospital (Ecuador), and Villa El Salvador Emergency Hospital (Peru). The simulation was joined by representatives from national emergency offices, as well as regional evaluators and observers.

This exercise will help strengthen hospital preparedness, particularly in response planning, based on the experiences and lessons learned from the simulation.