Some health experts have raised the alarm over the growing toll of climate-related disasters on public health, particularly on women and vulnerable communities in Nigeria.
The experts called for urgent, data-driven, and locally adapted responses to build climate-resilient health systems.
They made the call on Thursday in Abuja, during a panel session with the theme, “Addressing the Effects of Climate Change on Health”.
Regional director of Pathfinder International, Amina Dorayi, painted a sobering picture of how climate-induced disruptions affected women’s access to reproductive and maternal health services.
“During floods and extreme weather events, women face mobility challenges and cannot reach health facilities.
“Worse still, supply chain disruptions during crises like COVID-19 cut off access to essential maternal and family planning commodities,” she said.
She said delays or denials in access, from antenatal care to contraceptives, could have devastating long-term consequences for women’s health and well-being.
The director called on governments, civil society, and the private sector to embed health in all climate policies, scale up early warning systems, and localise interventions for real community impact.
She said climate change also disproportionately affects women who are often excluded from decision-making processes.
Mashishi Mokgadi, a representative from Africa Access Lead at Organon, a global pharmaceutical company focused on women’s health, said that excluding women from climate-health strategies undermines their effectiveness.
She urged governments and development partners to translate policy into accessible community action, ensuring that every girl and woman has a seat, both in the crowd and at the table.
Speaking on climate and health, Edwin Edeh, coordinator for public health and environment at the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigeria, declared that “health is the face of climate change.”
“Whether it is in Makoko, Lagos, or Mapalo in Malawi, the impact of climate change ultimately shows up at the health facility,” he said.
He stated that the WHO and the Federal Ministry of Health had conducted a nationwide assessment, which showed that 21 per cent of Nigeria’s national disease burden was linked to climate change.
According to him, this translates to one in five Nigerian deaths in the next five years, but it is preventable if climate risks are adequately addressed.
He emphasised the importance of high-level political commitment, the generation of local evidence, and the integration of climate strategies into Nigeria’s health system.
He said that these could be achieved through a National Health Adaptation Plan developed using the WHO’s climate-resilient health system framework.
“We have piloted solar-powered health facilities that now save over five litres of fuel daily and have reduced over 44,000 kg of greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
The coordinator stated that Nigeria had also commenced training for a climate-smart health workforce.
Morires Atiko, the chief executive officer of the African Business Coalition for Health, highlighted the critical role of the private sector in climate and health financing.
Ms Atiko called for greater awareness and direct linkage between climate change and health impacts, urging businesses to align their operations with environmental responsibility.
She said that it included measuring carbon footprints, shifting to eco-friendly production and transportation methods, and investing in climate-resilient healthcare systems.
As the climate crisis deepens, Nigeria faces the choice of adapting its health systems now or bearing the rising costs in lives and livelihoods.
(NAN)