The intensifying impact of climate change poses significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. In Southeast Asia, nations such as the Philippines and Indonesia face the brunt of extreme weather events, leading to disasters and exacerbating health risks. Rising rates of air pollution, heat-related illnesses, malnutrition, and infectious diseases further threaten public health. Women, children, and the elderly are disproportionately affected by these challenges. To effectively address climate-related health threats, a robust healthcare workforce is essential. However, systemic gaps and resource limitations hinder their ability to respond effectively. The healthcare workforce, particularly in the Global South, often operates with limited infrastructure for emergency response and disease surveillance. Inadequate training, fragmented coordination, and insufficient health interventions tailored to climate vulnerabilities persist. Targeted investments in healthcare workforce training and capacity building are crucial to cultivate a climate-resilient workforce. The World Health Organization’s framework for building climate-resilient health systems provides guidance for strengthening healthcare systems’ resilience to climate change. It emphasizes developing a climate-resilient healthcare workforce and calls for the healthcare sector to lead efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The framework also focuses on fostering action across sectors to improve awareness-raising and enhance communication about the health impacts of climate change. A key element of the framework is for countries to develop Health National Adaptation Plans (HNAPs), embedded within their multi-sectoral National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The recent WHO review found that while all 19 NAPs submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change highlighted health as a priority sector vulnerable to climate change, the extent to which climate-health risks were addressed varied. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role of healthcare workers as trusted intermediaries and frontline responders. They fulfill diverse roles from health promotion and disease prevention to safeguarding sexual and reproductive health, particularly in rural and remote areas. The pandemic impacted every aspect of healthcare, including increased demand, supply chain disruption, and healthcare worker illness and death. The challenges encountered during the pandemic offer insights into addressing climate change impacts. The prolonged duration and intensity of the pandemic exacerbated burnout among frontline workers, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding their physical and mental health wellbeing. Inadequate physical and mental protection during the pandemic also exposed healthcare workers to heightened health risks and deaths, underlining the need for robust safety measures. The workforce challenges during COVID-19 have also been gendered in nature, with women bearing a disproportionate burden of the crisis’s impacts. With more than 70 per cent of the global healthcare workforce being women, healthcare workers faced unique challenges, including increased exposure to infection due to their higher representation in frontline roles. They often juggle caregiving responsibilities at home, placing them at greater risk of burnout and mental health strain. The pandemic has also exacerbated existing gender-based disparities in voluntary versus paid positions and leadership roles within the healthcare sector. Women have faced heightened risks of gender-based violence, both within and outside healthcare settings. As healthcare systems navigate the aftermath of COVID-19 and the escalating climate crisis, prioritizing the strengthening of climate resilience of the healthcare workforce is more critical than ever. Cultivating a resilient healthcare workforce is paramount to effectively addressing climate-induced public health challenges and mitigating the profound impacts felt by the most vulnerable populations worldwide.
Cultivating a Climate-Resilient Healthcare Workforce for a Changing World
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