Structural damage means damaged of the buildings, walls, destroy of water and energy supply etc. Functional collapse occurs when the elements that allow a hospital to operate on a day-to-day basis are unable to perform because the disaster has overloaded the system. These include collapse of laboratories or operating functions; medical records; medical and support services; and administrative processes (such as contracting, procurement, and maintenance routines).

The main measures to prevent functional collapse are:

•contingency planning,

•improved organization,

•staff training.