Policy Recommendations

B-5: Building Resilient Health Systems in the Wake of Climate Crisis in South Asia
These policy recommendations focus on building climate resilience within South Asia’s health and social sectors by strengthening infrastructure, workforce development, financing, digital integration, and community engagement. Each thematic area addresses regional challenges while promoting collaborative and sustainable approaches to enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations against climate impacts. 
1. Climate-Resilient Health Infrastructure
 
South Asian countries should:
  • Develop climate-resilient healthcare facilities (HCFs) that comply with updated building codes, including avoiding flood plains for new construction, elevating buildings in flood-prone areas, and integrating Multi-Risk Hazard Vulnerability Assessments (MRHVAs) into planning.
  • Strengthen infrastructure post-flood reconstruction by ensuring adherence to climate-resilient designs and construction standards.
  • Update planning and development processes to make HCFs more resilient, including ensuring robust drainage systems and sufficient power backups to support uninterrupted health services.
  • Create an enabling environment for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to improve healthcare infrastructure, with government incentives to attract private sector investment in resilient health facilities.
2. Capacity Building and Climate-Smart Health Workforce Development
 
Regional countries ought to:
  • Build the capacity of healthcare professionals to respond to climate-induced health challenges, with specialised training in surveillance, disaster preparedness, and climate-health linkages.
  • Integrate mental health support and counselling skills into medical training to help healthcare workers address trauma from climate events and support community resilience.
  • Develop and retain a climate-smart health workforce by continuously updating medical curricula and providing refresher training on climate-adaptive practices.
  • Train local community health workers, particularly in disaster-prone regions to reduce the impact of climate-related disasters on secondary healthcare facilities.
  • Establish school-based emotional resilience programmes to support children’s mental health in disaster-affected areas, addressing the needs of young survivors.
3. Sustainable Financing and Investment in Climate-Resilient Health Initiatives
 
South Asian governments need to:
  • Secure sustainable domestic and international financing to support climate and health resilience, ensuring funds are dedicated to long-term solutions.
  • Encourage PPPs with government incentives to attract private investment in climate-resilient healthcare systems and infrastructure.
  • Develop alternative financing mechanisms to support health initiatives aimed at vulnerable populations, including targeted support for children, youth, and adolescents.
  • Promote climate-resilient health facilities and rehabilitation programmes that address the mental and physical health needs of young populations, ensuring they contribute productively to the economy.
4. Digital Health, Data Systems and Policy Integration
 
Regulators and the private sector should:
  • Establish comprehensive digital health initiatives to create long-term data repositories for tracking health and climate data, supporting evidence-based policies and adaptation strategies.
  • Conduct ongoing research on climate-health dynamics to support evidence-based policies, with a focus on region-specific data for South Asian countries.
  • Implement effective communication strategies to translate scientific research into actionable public health policies, sharing successful examples of integrating climate competency into Human Resources for Health (HRH) training.
5. Community Engagement, Social Protection and Vulnerable Population Support
 
Across countries, it is vital to:
  • Engage communities in climate investment and policy decisions, ensuring that local needs and perspectives are incorporated into climate and health initiatives.
  • Expand resilience initiatives to cover all vulnerable regions and scale up community-based early warning systems to mitigate climate risks, with a focus on rural and high-risk areas.
  • Educate and empower women in decision-making and family planning to address population growth and contribute to climate resilience, particularly in rural communities.
  • Strengthen local government roles in disaster-prone regions, equipping local authorities and health workers to mitigate the impact of climate events.
  • Establish capacity-building programmes to educate local leaders, policymakers, and communities on sustainable practices, renewable energy, and resilient agriculture to drive economic growth and employment.
  • Empower informal economy workers, especially women, by investigating ways to enhance social protection services and strengthen women’s solidarity networks for improved support coverage.
  • Ensure inclusion of the disabled population in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and financial protection initiatives to support their resilience and access to healthcare in the face of climate risks.