The Ministry of Health has called for urgent mobilisation of 63 million US dollars to finance the implementation of Uganda’s Health National Adaptation Plan on Climate Change, aimed at mitigating the impact of climate change on the health sector.

The Ministry’s climate change focal person, Didacus Namanya, disclosed this during an orientation of Members of Parliament on climate change and health held in Kampala. He said the proposed funding would support interventions to strengthen the health sector’s capacity to respond to climate-related challenges.

Namanya explained that the five-year adaptation plan requires a multisectoral approach involving various ministries, departments and agencies, particularly in areas most affected by climate change, to develop sustainable solutions and protect public health.

Meanwhile, John Bosco Isunju, a senior lecturer in the Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health at Makerere University School of Public Health, said an assessment conducted in more than 700 health facilities had revealed significant challenges linked to climate change.

Isunju noted that 48 percent of the assessed health facilities were struggling with climate-related effects, including water and electricity shortages, heatwaves and floods.

He identified drought as the biggest climate-related hazard affecting health workers and health facilities, emphasising the need for coordinated interventions among relevant stakeholders to address the growing threat.

Meanwhile, several legislators attending the meeting pledged to advocate for increased funding to address climate-related challenges in regions severely affected by the changing weather patterns.

The MPs said they would lobby for resources to strengthen responses to climate-related health risks and improve the resilience of communities and health facilities in their respective constituencies.

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