The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has called on the government to employ more healthcare workers and build more health facilities, to manage and deliberate solutions for the health crisis emanating from Climatic Change.
The impact of Climate Change has been felt globally and the menace has significantly affected healthcare delivery worldwide.
Speaking during the 50th Annual Scientific Conference dubbed ‘Impact of climate change on Health and Health Systems’, Mombasa County Governor, Shariff Nassir, declared his mission to employ more health practitioners in the rural areas of his County, to increase awareness on health issues and Climate Change.
The Conference came at a time when the KMA was celebrating 100 years of its flagship scientific journal-the East African Medical Journal (EAMJ).
Nassir said that Community Health Volunteers have a role to assist the County government, in the eradication of illnesses where possible and creating positive health living among Mombasa citizenry.
”Am confidently ensuring that within every homestead, there is a community health promoter, who is at reach to be able to handle health issues and spread the narrative of how we can overcome issues like Cholera or Malaria,” Nassir said.
Due to the worsening of the Non-Communicable Diseases, spread of infectious diseases, malnutrition, climate induced migration and mental health, KMA has come-up with a Planetary Committee to facilitate and organize a Regional Coalition of Health Workers.
The Committee is expected to facilitate and organize a Regional Coalition of Health workers, engage in global forums focusing on health change, build partnership with likeminded organizations and the government, to drive advocacy in turning the planet green.
KMA Secretary General (SG), Dr. Diana Marion, reiterated KMA commitments on conservation of the environment through KMA Strategic Plan of tree planting, stating that each of their divisions is targeting to plant 10,000 trees per year, to maintain a green environment for a healthier State.
”We are aiming to increase knowledge among healthcare workers on Climate Change through our participation in curriculum development, by partnering with relevant training institutions,” Marion said.
Marion added that KMA is planning to be conducting paperless meetings, using energy saving in all of their offices and reducing the carbon footprint as a strategy of mitigation of Climate Change.
The President of KMA, Simon Kigondu, said that Medical Scientific Conferences are incomplete without discussions of diseases, stating that the 50th KMA Summit, came at a time when the globe is experiencing chronic climatic diseases.
He pleaded to the National Government to employ more doctors so as to improve service delivery of healthcare, stating that for good healthcare as one doctor should serve 1,000 citizens in contrast to Kenya where nearly 16,000 patients are all under one doctor.
He thanked the Governor for commissioning 2,387 Community Health Workers (CHVs), who will be receiving monthly stipends.
”We are pleased with the governor for commissioning Community Health Workers who will be ensuring that the Society is safe in terms of healthcare,” said Kigondu.
KMA holds an enviable position of running the oldest Scientific Journal in the region that has contributed to advancement of scientific and evidence-based medicine, in the East African region and beyond.
By Fatma Said
