View climate change as health threat, health sector urges gov’t

Health and environmental advocates came together to urge the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to come up with a cohesive and responsive health strategy that recognizes climate change as a threat to public health.

In a forum organized by international environmental health group Health Care Without Harm - Asia (HCWH-Asia) and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), representatives from the Climate Change Commission, the Philippine Heart Center, Philippine College of Physicians and civil society emphasized how climate change poses serious threats to Filipinos’ health, the Philippines being one of the most climatevulnerable countries in the world.

“Climate change is now recognized as the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. We are seeing both its gradual and drastic effects on health, from subtle increases in infectious diseases to disability and death as a result of natural disasters,” HCWH-Asia director Ramon San Pascual.

“The climate issue is also an issue of social justice, because it is the poor who are most affected by the drastic impacts of climate change. We appeal to the administration of Presidentelect Duterte to heed our call by upholding laws that protect both the environment and people’s health, promoting the use of renewable energy sources, and supporting climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable hospitals and health systems,” San Pascual said.

During the 69th World Health Assembly in Geneva last month, the Philippines co-hosted a forum on climate and health as chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, which is represented by 43 developing countries most affected by climate change.

At the forum, participating nations agreed that governments worldwide should intensify policies, from implementing mitigation measures to reducing health sector’s carbon footprint and strengthening health systems to be climateresilent.

In the Philippines, the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) has been showcasing leadership in greening health care through their various programs geared towards reducing their carbon emission through the use of solar powered energy, energy efficiency, sustainable waste management, and green procurement.

The PHC is also part of Health Care Without Harm’s Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network.