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The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) National and Provincial Environmental Health Officers, Planning Officers and stakeholders successfully completed a three-day workshop on further developing the National Health Adaptation Plan (H-NAP) to enhance the resilience of the health system to the climate crisis.
Deputy Minister of Health Improvement, Dr. Nemia Bainivalu, who spoke at the opening of the workshop on behalf of Deputy Minister of Health Improvement, Ms. Jennimer Ngoli, Chief Health Inspector, Ministry of Human Resources and Training, said the workshop provided a platform for officials to engage, network and collaborate on addressing the impacts of the climate crisis and its relationship to public health.
“There is no doubt that climate change and its adverse impacts are one of the key issues of this century, affecting all sectors and services, including health,” said Ms. Ngoli.
She explained that the main health risks from climate change include loss of life and injuries from extreme weather events, infectious and vector-borne diseases, as well as non-communicable diseases and mental health-related problems. Managing these risks requires collaboration across sectors.
“In the Solomon Islands, increasing climate-related diseases are one of the key factors that directly affect people’s livelihoods and limit their ability to cope with more frequent and intense external stresses caused by extreme climate events.”
Workshop Participants
“Climate change is a cross-cutting issue that requires collaboration across sectors. Our three-day workshop demonstrated the importance of strengthening partnerships and cultivating institutional relationships to effectively address the health impacts of the climate crisis, especially on our most vulnerable populations.”
“The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Environmental Health Control Management (EHCM) of MHMS, has progressively developed the H-NAP through a phased consultation process involving officials from the Environmental Health Department, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) Headquarters, Honiara City Council and Guadalcanal Province.”
“The early outcomes of the consultations validate the collaborative approach and we are grateful for the financial support of the GEF project. The development of the National Health Adaptation Plan (H-NAP) in an interactive manner, guided by WHO colleagues and health partners, is a key priority for the Ministry in 2024.”
“Convening this workshop is a catalyst for implementing key activities under the UNDP-GEF project. By leveraging our collective understanding of the climate crisis and building a resilient health system in Solomon Islands, we are laying the foundation for sustainable and impactful change,” she added.
A participant speaking at the seminar
Meanwhile, Mr Georgios Theocharopoulos, Health Emergencies Programme Officer, speaking on behalf of WHO Country Representative Dr Howard Sobel, said: “WHO is working with the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health on a GEF-funded project (overseen by UNDP) to increase the resilience of the Solomon Islands health system to the impacts of the climate crisis.
“The goal of the project is to improve the capacity of national and local health systems, institutions, personnel and local communities to manage health risks arising from climate variability and change,” said Mr Theokaropoulos.
He further added that the purpose of the H-NAP is to agree on measures to adapt health systems to the climate crisis and manage risks that could affect people’s health and well-being.
“It is important that the H-NAP will be aligned with key national plans and policies such as the Solomon Islands National Climate Change Policy 2023-2032, as well as global mechanisms that reference WHO guidance,” Mr Theocharopoulos said.
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Master of Medicine
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