Plan to deal with climate impacts on health soon

Barbados is in the final stages of validating its Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP), which outlines the country’s strategy for dealing with the impacts of climate change on health.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George, speaking at a press briefing at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) headquarters this week, said the HNAP “is a road map to support climate change efforts in the health sector.”

“The road map involves several sectors, it’s not only health, and it identifies several of our vulnerabilities, including natural disasters, the relationship between climate change and NCDs, relationship with climate change and mosquito-borne illness, the relationship with climate change and mental health,” he said.

Dr George noted that a great deal of work had gone into the plan and it had reached the stage of undergoing validation that morning. The plan’s multi-sectoral approach “affects almost every facet of life,” he added.

However, the CMO noted, though the plan also opens the door for further financing opportunities in healthcare, there was a lack of staffing to make full use of those opportunities.

“The only challenge we are having on our end is a human resource challenge because as we expand our footprint, we need more able-bodied people to work with developmental agencies, etc, to make the plan functional,” he said. (SB)