Overlooking The Preparedness of the ASEAN Health Systems for Climate-Related Health Threats
The second ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Public Health Emergency Webinar is currently underway, entitled “ASEAN Public Health Emergencies Webinar: Are ASEAN Health Systems Prepared for Climate-Related Health Threats?” was held on 6 September 2022. This webinar is intended to emphasizes and call attention to the importance of enhancing understanding of climate-related health threats on ASEAN health systems, and benefit ASCC sectoral bodies in further developing and implementing their public health-related initiatives through evidence-based research and insight.
The first session of the webinar discussed the topic of strengthening foresight on trends and challenges of climate change on regional health security. Based on the webinar it said that ASEAN is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Climate change impacts from air pollution to health infrastructure and supply chain. The solution therefore is not a single sector solution, but also needs many sectors to collaborate and work together. The importance of insurance as part of the long term risk management plan. Climate change puts a lot more pressure on the government due to inactive economics.
In the second session of the webinar were discussed and shared insights on strategies to establish a sustainable and climate resilient health system as a response to climate change threats. Adaptation and mitigation is vital in facing the issue. Climate change causes the change in landscape of vectors and disease pathogens. Hence, the one health concept is needed for climate change and infectious disease management. The need to build partnerships and collaboration with multi sector stakeholders on all levels. Next step for ASEAN Collaboration and partnership should include action to share knowledge and information to gather data that can convince stakeholders and partners to support finance and capital. Additionally, it is important to repurpose infrastructure, programs, and systems built to support the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be repurposed to support the adaptation and mitigation or even to prepare for the future public health emergencies, especially for the digital system.
To conclude, the establishment of the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change and various joint statements and initiatives also reaffirm the region’s commitment to addressing climate change’s adverse impacts. However, the capacity gap among member states, limited resources, and diverse conditions in ASEAN remains a barrier that needs to be addressed. Still, collaborative regional actions and harmonization of efforts indicate that we are moving in the right direction toward the developmental ambitions to fulfil the Paris Agreement and ensure the health system’s capability to face climate change’s adverse effects.
Written by Delia Christanti
