By Blessing Bature
Federal government has taken a significant step towards addressing the impact of climate change on health with the launch of its first climate health vulnerability and adaptation assessment report.
According to Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, climate change is a complex issue that affects various aspects of health, including rising temperatures, air quality, and respiratory infections.
Pate speaking at the launch which took place at the closing ceremony of the Nigerian Health Sector Wide Joint Annual Review (JAR), an event that brought stakeholders; local and foreign partners together, said climate change is multifaceted, interconnects with several other elements and in trying to solve one problem, another problem features.
He explained, “If you look at Nigeria’s population dynamics, the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), and the burden of disease, you also see the areas that have excessive climate vulnerability in our country. So these two issues are in some ways interconnected, whether it’s rising temperature, impact on air quality and respiratory infections.”
According to him, the impact of climate change could be felt in cases of flooding and diarrheal diseases, water contamination, cholera outbreaks due to rising water table, or in the protracted cycle of transmission of malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and also malnutrition because food systems have become fragile either from declining productivity in the food systems or flooding that destroys farmlands.
“So this is a very complex issue but we cannot just wait and hope that it will disappear. Therefore, this work that we are launching is an effort to have a concrete plan that we can execute to adapt to this reality that we are facing as a people.
He assured of Federal government commitment towards ensuring resilient health systems based on resilient communities while calling on community leaders all over Nigeria to sensitise the population to understand the implication of the assessment so that they are aware of the changes in the climate.
The World Health Organisation’s Country representative to Nigeria, Dr Walter Molumbo, said that the commitment of Nigeria to a climate-resilient health sector has been evident since COP26 in 2021, where the country pledged to build a sustainable, low-emission health system.
He said the report was a “crucial milestone” in safeguarding the health of Nigerians against climate change, saying the report aligns with the commitments made under the Paris Agreement.
