Public threatened by weak health system, climate change - WHO

The healthcare landscape has changed, and there is now a twin threat to public health – a weak health system and climate change, an official of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Western Pacific Region said yesterday.

In his farewell address to WHO’s governing body in Western Pacific, outgoing regional director Shigeru Omi noted significant progress made on a number of health fronts, like communicable diseases, “but much work remains to be done on other issues.”

“While a tally of our progress and achievements seems substantial, so does the list of challenges and opportunities that continue to face the organization,” he said.

He added that the first challenge is to strengthen health systems and prepare for climate change, two of the gravest health challenges facing countries in the region today.

He said that health system strengthening, which includes health care financing and human resources development, “is an area in which many member states look to WHO for leadership.”

Omi maintained that countries need to prepare for climate change because it is expected to impact on health.

“Rising oceans could soon threaten our low-lying island states and areas in the Pacific. A warmer planet has contributed to some diseases, such as dengue, now occurring in areas where it was never seen before. Heat waves and droughts are among the many factors contributing to the current food crisis,” he said.

But some of the concerns where there have been “genuine progress” are tuberculosis, tobacco control, HIV/AIDS, counterfeit drugs, child health and maternal mortality and measles.