KINGSTON, Jamaica, 26 June 2024 (PAHO) – Amid growing concerns over the impacts of climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), key stakeholders came together to discuss the significant implications for Jamaica’s public health system at the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) Stakeholder Consultation, held in Kingston on 20-21 June. The two-day consultations highlighted the urgent need for robust strategies to address the health challenges posed by climate change.
The two-day discussion focused on climate change, recognized as one of the greatest health threats of the 21st century, and brought together key stakeholders from the Ministry of Health and Human Services, the European Union (EU), and with the support of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). The event highlighted the severe and ongoing impacts of climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and aimed to develop resilient health infrastructure in response.
Participants in the consultations considered the multifaceted impacts of climate change on health and other sectors, identifying both obstacles and opportunities for Jamaica's development. A large portion of the discussion was devoted to the objectives of the Caribbean Readiness Proposal for the Green Climate Fund (GCF), highlighting the need to strengthen resilience and advance the HNAP.
The HNAP process includes comprehensive activities, from conducting vulnerability assessments to monitoring outcomes, all with the aim of building a resilient health infrastructure that can withstand climate-related challenges.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacqueline Bisasor McKenzie said the health sector has been recognised as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, with health facilities increasingly exposed to climate-related hazards. “We must step up our climate change response in the health sector… We have taken steps as the Department of Health and Human Services, but there is more work to be done that is based on solid evidence and best practice,” she explained.
Aniceto Rodriguez-Lewis, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Kingston, congratulated the Government of Jamaica for taking steps towards better integrating health and climate policies, and thanked PAHO and the project team for facilitating this process through the regional climate change and health program. “The EU is honoured to partner with the Caribbean in these efforts,” he said, co-funding the region’s programs with grant funding.
Meanwhile, Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO Representative in Jamaica, noted that Health National Adaptation Plans (HNAPs) play a vital role in developing climate-resilient health systems that can anticipate, absorb and transform in response to climate impacts.
“They comprehensively assess health system strengths, vulnerabilities and opportunities for action and outline detailed multi-sectoral plans to address climate-related health impacts within the broader framework of a National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Jamaica, which is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the health sector, is actively developing its HNAP and identifying gaps in the system under the Green Climate Fund Caribbean Readiness Project as part of the PAHO/EU/CARIFORUM Strengthening Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean,” Stein outlined.
Jamaica is one of 10 countries supported in the development of HNAPs under the PAHO/EU/CARIFORUM Programme for Strengthening Resilient Health Systems in the Caribbean. Once finalized, the HNAP report will provide key recommendations to help develop policies, strategies and programs to support countries' adaptation processes. It is expected that the report will help guide Jamaica and other countries in building sustainable and resilient health systems that can effectively respond to the increasing challenges posed by climate change.
