Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of state for health has expressed concerns that the current environmental crisis has led to worsening non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria.
The minister also said the crisis have unsettled the lives of many individuals while causing profound disruptions in the global economy, supply chains and economic growth, with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs hard hit.
Mamora, in his address to mark the 2022 World Health Day, with the theme “Our planet, our health” further revealed that the health impacts from climate change primarily affects the vulnerable and the elderly populations disproportionately, especially low-income communities, minorities, children, and individuals with existing health conditions.
Quoting statistics from the World Health Organization, Mamora said approximately 80 percent of climate change affects many children, impacts access to healthcare delivery services and disrupts primary health care infrastructure.
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While noting that urgent action needs to be taken to safeguard the planet, the Minister informed that government will set up a committee to discuss on the central scientific issues to tackle the problem.
He added that government will implement policies that will reduce the use of fossil fuels, fossil fuels subsidies, its exploration
and shift projects to increase clean energy production and use; Increase fossil fuels related tax as an incentive for carbon reduction; Implement the WHO air quality guidelines, among others.
The WHO Deputy Country Representative in Nigeria, Alexander Chimbaru, in his address, disclosed that NCDs are set to overtake communicable diseases, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional conditions combined, to become the leading cause of death by 2030.
According to him, more than 13 million annual deaths globally are due to avoidable environmental causes, including the climate crisis.
“COVID-19, along with spiralling obesity, diabetes and hypertension rates, compounds the challenge, highlighting the urgency of a multi-sectoral response,” he said.
“With Africa’s population projected to grow to 2.5 billion by 2050, we can expect burgeoning urbanization into areas exposed to natural hazards, and a concomitant increase in associated injuries, disease and deaths. As such, I urge our Member States to urgently initiate adaptation and mitigation actions,” he added.
Chimbaru urged governments, civil society, nongovernment organizations and communities to work together, empowering one another to ensure the continued delivery of essential health services during future extreme events, while containing the growing incidence of environment- and lifestyle-related diseases.
“We cannot afford to lose sight of the fundamental truth that the climate crisis, the single biggest threat facing humanity today, is also very much a health crisis,” the deputy country director stressed.
