Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education Sakeena Itoo on Saturday virtually inaugurated a training programme-cum-workshop on ‘Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health’ under the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) from the Civil Secretariat.
Addressing participants, the minister said climate change was among the most serious global challenges of the present era, with far-reaching consequences for human health, particularly in vulnerable regions. She said that rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, an increase in extreme climatic events and deteriorating air and water quality were directly contributing to a surge in climate-sensitive diseases.
Emphasising that climate change was no longer only an environmental issue, Itoo said it had emerged as a major public health concern affecting disease patterns, food security, mental health, maternal and child health, and overall well-being. She underlined the need for a proactive, evidence-based and coordinated health response to mitigate and adapt to these emerging challenges.
She added that programmes such as NPCCHH played a crucial role in integrating climate considerations into public health planning and service delivery.
During the event, the minister also released the Health Calendar–2026, highlighting important national and international health days along with key public health information aimed at strengthening health awareness and promoting preventive healthcare.
The training programme aims to build the capacity of healthcare professionals to understand and respond to the health implications of climate change, including emerging diseases, extreme weather events and their impact on public health planning and service delivery.
Speakers at the programme stressed the importance of sensitising healthcare professionals to climate-related health risks.