UNIPORT don to address climate change impact on healthcare at US summit

A distinguished University of Port Harcourt scholar, Professor Vincent Idemyor, has been scheduled to moderate and speak on ‘Preparing Healthcare Service Delivery for Climate Change Impacts’ in the United States of America.

Idemyor will deliver a plenary at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Clinical Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States of America on the 10th of December 2024.

The meeting, which would attract over 20,000 pharmacy professionals from across the globe, is one of the largest gatherings of healthcare providers with a focus on the advancement of pharmacy practice.

In the plenary session, Professor Idemyor will explore the growing intersection between climate change and healthcare, with a special focus on disease states and medical conditions exacerbated by climate change, both in the short and long term.

He is also expected to highlight the profound effects of climate change on mental health, particularly its role in increasing stress, depression, anxiety, grief, substance use, and personality disorders.

One of the central themes of Professor Idemyor’s presentation will be the interaction between medications and the body during prolonged heat exposure, with emphasis on the critical need for

healthcare providers and patients to understand how certain medications may respond differently under extreme heat conditions, which could lead to adverse health outcomes.

South-South PUNCH gathered that Idemyor will “underscore the pivotal role that healthcare professionals must play in addressing the health risks posed by climate change.”

The erudite professor “will advocate for urgent policy changes within the healthcare systems to ensure they are better prepared to manage climate-related health challenges.”

He enthused, “In a sense, the pressure is on us as practitioners and researchers whose fields are grounded in science. We are the ones policymakers will turn to as government budgets are allocated. Science will prevail because it is rooted in undeniable realities.”

Furthermore, he would call on healthcare professionals to take an active role as climate change educators and advocates, while proposing the integration of climate science into the medical curricula and continuing education programs to better equip practitioners for the evolving health challenges associated with climate change. Indeed, there is need for green curricular in all disciplines.

In his presentation, Professor Idemyor will also discuss strategies for effectively communicating the links between climate and health to policymakers and the public. He will argue that healthcare providers have an ethical responsibility to engage in climate action, viewing environmental stewardship as an extension of the Hippocratic Oath.

His proposed solution includes the creation of climate-health task forces within healthcare institutions, aimed at driving sustainable practices and shaping health-related climate policies.

As Professor Idemyor and many global health experts have warned, climate change is the “greatest threat” to public health.

More than 200 medical journals recently issued a joint statement calling on world leaders to cut heat-trapping emissions, stressing that failure to act will lead to irreversible harm to human health.

Professor Idemyor’s insights remind us that healthcare is not just about treating symptoms – it’s about addressing the root causes of health challenges, including the environmental factors that threaten human well-being.

The diagnosis is clear: action on climate change is essential to safeguarding our collective health and ensuring a healthier future for all.