By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

In its bid to tackle climate change’s health impact in Nigeria, the federal government has launched the first-ever Climate Change Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment Report 2024.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare,Prof. Mohammad Pate, who launched the report at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review,JAR, in Abuja, assured on government’s commitment towards ensuring resilient health systems.

This groundbreaking report highlights Nigeria’s commitment to safeguarding public health amidst the escalating climate challenges impacting communities nationwide.

The key health priorities set under this initiative include enhancing reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health which seeks the strengthening support for mothers and children for a healthier future;accelerating immunization programs,targeting high-priority antigens to protect communities from preventable diseases and combating non-communicable diseases,which seeks action to reduce the burden of lifestyle-related health issues.

The initiative is also seeking to reduce the incidence of HIV, TB, and malaria,a renewed efforts to diminish diseases in Nigerian communities;improving quality of care and service delivery at primary health centers to ensure accessible and quality healthcare for all ;expanding financial protection for health services by working to make healthcare affordable and inclusive and increasing human resources for healthhealth, by building a strong workforce to support Nigeria’s health infrastructure.

With this bold new approach, Nigeria is poised to address the intersecting challenges of climate change and health head-on, ensuring a healthier and more resilient future for all Nigerians.

Prof. Pate ,speaking at the event in Abuja, described climate change as a wicked problem because of its complexity.

He said, “it is multifaceted, interconnects with several other elements and in trying to solve one problem, another problem features.

“If you look at Nigeria’s population dynamics and you look at the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) and the burden of disease, you also see the areas that have the excessive climate vulnerability in our country.

“So these two issues are in some ways interconnected, whether it’s in rising temperature, impact on air quality and respiratory infections.”

He said that these impacts 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 and yellow fever.

Pate also added that malnutrition because food systems have become fragile either from declining productivity in the food systems or flooding that destroys farmlands.

He said, “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.”

While assuring government’s commitment towards ensuring resilient health systems based on resilient communities, the minister said that everyone must play a part.

He called 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.

“While government will do its part and we’re trying to expand primary health care system, provide vaccination, reproductive health for women and have the value chain strengthened.

“We will also organise ourselves in terms of governance, have better surveillance systems to deal with infectious diseases, but communities and households also have to be ready to do their own part,” he said.

Dr Walter Molumbo, the World Health Organisation’s,WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, said that Nigeria’s commitment 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 emphasised that the report was a “crucial milestone” in safeguarding the health of Nigerians against climate change.

He added that it aligns with the commitments made under the Paris Agreement.

Mulombo, however, said that as Nigeria preparation for the future by investing in climate resilient health system was a crucial priority and that WHO was proud and remains committed along with the dedicated partners in Nigeria.