India, Asian Development Bank to set up climate change and health hub in Delhi

India is now all set to open a climate change and health hub in the national capital Delhi in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Earlier, India had bagged the first WHO Centre for Global Traditional Medicine. WHO Centre for Global Traditional Medicine was set up in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

The new hub for climate change and health will facilitate knowledge sharing, promote partnerships and innovations, and also help countries beyond the G-20, especially developing countries. In its recently released G-20 outcome document, India also noted that climate change will continue to drive health emergencies, including the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, and by increasing the severity and frequency of natural disasters, thereby threatening to overwhelm health systems’ ability to deliver essential services.

The outcome document committed to:

Prioritize climate-resilient health systems development, build sustainable and low-carbon/low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission health systems and healthcare supply chains that deliver high-quality healthcare, mobilize resources for resilient, low-carbon sustainable health systems, and

Facilitate collaboration, including initiatives such as the WHO-led Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH). The new Climate Change and Health Hub in New Delhi will help countries all over the world to address to identify new drivers and address the existing drivers using a science and risk-based approach, and to strengthen existing infectious disease surveillance systems.

Significance:

• Climate change affects all and this centre will give an opportunity to have different partners discussing this important issue and learning from each other.
• In its recently released G-20 outcome document, India noted that climate change will continue to drive health emergencies, including the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases.
• It will also increase the severity and frequency of natural disasters, thereby threatening health systems’ ability to deliver essential services.
• Against this backdrop, there is need to enhance the resilience of health systems against the impact of climate change.

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