Articles

Date: 3rd October 2024
Moderator: Dr Victor M. Wauye, Member, KMA Policy, Advocacy and Communications Committee (KMA PAC), & Lead, KMA PAC Climate and Health Subcommittee
Panellists: Ms Lilian Khalai Mulaa, Project Officer, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance; Dr Martin Muchangi (PhD), Programme Director, Population Health & Environment, AMREF Health Africa; and Dr Dave Ojijo, Chair, KMA Planetary Health Committee

Author: Dr. Victor M. Wauye

Introduction

Climate change poses a significant threat to the health sector, necessitating collaborative efforts to build climate-resilient healthcare systems. The Kenya Medical Association (KMA), through its Policy, Advocacy, and Communications Committee, organized a panel discussion to explore the relationship between climate change and health, aiming for health decarbonization and green healthcare in Kenya.

Relationship Between Climate Change and Health

Climate change impacts health through environmental determinants, leading to storms, droughts, waterborne and vector-borne diseases, food insecurity, malnutrition, and premature deaths. In Kenya, cholera outbreaks and new malaria hotspots and breeds have recently been reported. Mental health issues, often overlooked, are also significant. Extreme weather events damage infrastructure, hindering healthcare delivery and access. Additionally, climate change drives communities into poverty, reducing their ability to afford healthcare.

Conversely, the healthcare sector contributes to climate change mainly via three scopes as in Fig.1. In Kenya, it is primarily through waste disposal practices like dumping and burning.
burning.

Figure 1: Healthcare sector greenhouse gas scopes

Role of Healthcare Sector in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

The healthcare sector's role in climate change mitigation and adaptation in Kenya can be viewed through the WHO health system building blocks:

• Governance: Kenya has made strides with the Climate Change Act and Climate Change and Health Strategy, providing a policy framework, though the position of climate change in the health ministry remains unclear.
• Health Workforce: Few healthcare workers who are mainly driven by passion in Kenya understand the health impacts of climate change. However, passion alone is insufficient without proper systems.
• Health Information: Kenya lacks innovative surveillance systems to interpret and warn about climate change scenarios.
• Service Delivery: The healthcare workforce is not well-empowered to handle climate change impacts.
• Healthcare Financing: Climate funding is unstable, and the health sector has not fully leveraged available funds like the green climate fund.

Health Sector Decarbonization Strategies

Various strategies can be adopted in Kenya:

• Renewable energy sources like solar panels, as seen in Rwanda.
• Electric vehicles for ambulances instead of diesel-fuelled ones.
• Transition to public transport or cycling, as in Sweden.
• Paperless systems and telemedicine to reduce waste and transport-associated emissions.
• Improved medical waste management, including innovative protocols and grey water recycling.
• Education of healthcare workers on climate change and health.
• Eco-friendly manufacturing of medical supplies from local materials.

Conclusion

Climate change is a significant health crisis, primarily caused by human activities. It adversely affects health, but the healthcare sector also contributes to climate change. Building a climate-resilient healthcare system is crucial for mitigation and adaptation. By adopting innovative strategies, there is an opportunity to decarbonize the healthcare sector and establish green healthcare in Kenya.

Recommendations:

• Conduct health systems carbon emissions audits.
• Invest in local capacities for manufacturing medical supplies.
• Involve communities in addressing climate change health challenges.
• Improve medical training curricula to include climate change and health.
• Develop innovative surveillance and response mechanisms.
• Allocate resources for implementing climate change and health policies.
• Explore funding opportunities by collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations.
• Advocate for a coordinated multisectoral approach.
• Develop innovative waste management strategies.