¡°We see with our own eyes the impacts of climate change,¡± said Pelesala Kaleia, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Tuvalu. ¡°There are diseases and illnesses that we are experiencing that are related to climate change. It¡¯s a real issue and people are being affected.¡±
Attending the Second Asia Pacific Health Financing Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka in June 2024, Pelesala was a featured speaker in a session exploring the intersecting challenges of advancing universal health coverage and climate change.
¡°Tuvalu is one of the smallest countries in the world. We¡¯re eight islands or atolls and we are less than five meters above sea level. Recently, at the main hospital, we noticed that we had about five different outbreaks, ranging from dengue fever to influenza like illnesses. These are quite new to us. In the past, we rarely had outbreaks like this in Tuvalu. It¡¯s a change that we are noticing.¡±
As the planet warms, there is an urgent need for climate smart health systems that can mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Many countries in the region have initiatives underway and the forum provided an important platform for them to share valuable knowledge and insights with each other.
¡°One of the important opportunities of this forum is to learn from other island countries,¡± said Pelesala. ¡°For least developed states like Tuvalu, we know where we are, and the challenges that we are facing. Listening to what other countries are saying, we can understand the differences and hear about some of the successful approaches that have been done in trying to improve their health sector.¡±
¡°There¡¯s a lot of things we need to do as a nation, as a ministry, and as a government, to make sure we can look after our population by providing good health care services and quality health care services for the people of Tuvalu.¡±
¡°With support from the World Bank, we are trying to build more resilient and climate-smart health infrastructure. Not only in the capital, Funafuti, but also refurbishing and renovating our health clinics across all our atolls. In addition, we are trying to expand our digital health and telemedicine. We¡¯re doing this to ensure continuous access to health care technology. Leveraging the technology to overcome our geographical barriers.¡±
The 2024 Asia and Pacific Health Financing Forum was co-hosted by the World Bank and the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents, with support from the governments of Australia and Japan.