-MoH, Makerere University Collaborate To Address Climate-Induced Health Challenges
By Insight Post Uganda
Mukono-Uganda
The Ministry of Health (MoH) in Uganda, in collaboration with Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), has taken a significant step in addressing the impact of climate change on public health.
A two-day validation meeting at Rider Hotel in Mukono aimed to validate the Health Climate Change Vulnerability Adaptation Assessment (VAA) as part of the process of developing the Health National Adaptation Plan (H-NAP).
The meeting, which took place from Tuesday to Wednesday, was inaugurated by Dr. Diana Atwiine, the Permanent Secretary at the MoH, represented by Dr. Herbert Nabaasa, the Commissioner of Environmental Health at MoH.
The VAA validation is a crucial component in establishing a climate-resilient healthcare system with sustainable low-carbon practices within the health sector.
This initiative aligns with Uganda’s commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as declared at the Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in December 2021.
Dr. Atwiine emphasized the importance of achieving a sustainable, low-carbon resilient health system. She asserted that such a system would enhance the ministry’s capacity to anticipate, respond to, cope with, recover from, and adapt to climate-related shocks and stress.
The anticipated outcome is the development of the H-NAP, which is expected to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and minimize other negative environmental impacts, ultimately safeguarding the health and well-being of present and future generations.
“Climate change is manifesting in increasing temperatures, rising water levels, changing rainfall patterns, and more frequent and severe extreme weather conditions,” Dr. Atwiine highlighted.
She pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates more than 13 million annual deaths globally due to avoidable environmental causes, including the climate crisis, with direct consequences on key determinants of health.
The validated Health Climate Change Vulnerability Adaptation Assessment is a project funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and is a collaborative effort involving scholars from MakSPH, experts from MoH, and the World Health Organization.
Dr. John Bosco Isunju, the Principal Investigator (PI), shared that the assessment covered 1,119 health facilities across 43 districts, evaluating vulnerability to climate change hazards such as floods, storms, rising water levels, drought, heat waves, and cold waves.
The assessment considered various dimensions, including the health workforce, water, sanitation, healthcare waste, energy, infrastructure, technology, products, and processes for each priority climate change hazard.
Key findings revealed that 47.6 percent of assessed health facilities are exposed to drought, 39.7 percent to floods, 31.1 percent to storms, 12.0 percent to water level rise, and 11.7 percent to landslides.
Notably, several facilities, such as Lwampanga HC III, Kilembe Mines Hospital in Kasese, and Kijurera HC II in Kabale District, have already experienced adverse effects due to climate change.
The assessment also highlighted significant impacts on the health workforce, including threats from infectious diseases due to water contamination, vector-borne diseases, and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular, cancer, malnutrition, and respiratory diseases linked to poor air quality and higher temperatures.
Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, the Dean of MakSPH, emphasized the changing environments that create ecologies favourable to disease vectors, leading to the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue, lymphatic filariasis, yellow fever, zika, and West Nile fever to previously unaffected populations.
Dr. Suraj Man Shrestha, the Uganda Programme Management Officer at WHO, stressed the need for Uganda and the global community to build health systems that are not only responsive to current needs but also resilient in the face of climate change.
The validated assessment sets the stage for a comprehensive Health National Adaptation Plan that addresses current vulnerabilities and ensures the sustainability of healthcare systems in the changing climate landscape.
END
English 