Opinion

The future of healthcare lies in resilience, equity and climate action

With the MENA region warming twice as fast as the global average, we need to work twice as hard to build resilience and equity and mitigate the effects of climate change on human health. 

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Pascal Soriot
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The future of healthcare lies in resilience, equity and climate action

Pascal Soriot
last update on

As COP28 takes place in the UAE later this year, the spotlight will inevitably be on the dire ramifications of climate change that the world is grappling with – from blistering temperatures to dwindling water reserves and ever-increasing air pollution. These are not abstract ideas but pressing realities.

Yet, there is a parallel crisis that gets less attention: the alarming repercussions of this environmental change on human health. Not only are we seeing a surge in infectious and chronic diseases, but the widening chasm of health disparities is exacerbating an already strained healthcare infrastructure, still reeling from the aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patients with a heart, lung or metabolic condition, already widespread health concerns in the Middle East and North Africa, are particularly susceptible to the dangers of extreme heat. The invisible killer that is air pollution continues to take more lives.

Chilling statistics

The chilling statistics from the World Bank reveal that many of the Middle East and North Africa’s cities breathe some of the most polluted air globally, causing a staggering 270,000 deaths annually.

Beyond this human tragedy, there are powerful economic repercussions. Ailing health results in reduced productivity, heightened inequities, and forced migration.

Considering that around 5% of global greenhouse emissions originate from the healthcare sector, and up to 8% in some advanced economies like the US, there is a clear need for a collective effort from within and beyond our industry.

The chilling statistics from the World Bank reveal that many of the Middle East and North Africa's cities breathe some of the most polluted air globally, causing a staggering 270,000 deaths annually.

Some progress made

The commitment from the G20 Ministers of Health to deliver resilient and low-carbon health systems provides hope, and COP28's decision to prioritise climate and health for the first time in almost three decades is significant. Still, corporate responsibility and private sector-led action is essential. This is why AstraZeneca has stepped up to help drive change.

The Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force I am proud to convene — initially launched by King Charles III in his previous role as The Prince of Wales — is acting at scale.

Earlier this year, we introduced shared carbon, water, and waste supplier standards. We are also working on tools to measure the carbon emissions of healthcare products, in a drive to create greater transparency and accountability for measuring emissions across our sector.

AstraZeneca is taking tangible steps in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to decarbonise patient care. And just last week, we opened our next eco-friendly office in Dubai, the second in the region after Egypt.

More broadly, our company is on track to cut emissions from our global operations and fleet by an ambitious 98% by 2026 and to halve the carbon footprint of our value chain by 2030.

The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience has brought together leading figures in academia, business, and healthcare to strengthen health systems against present dangers and future threats. It is encouraging to see that the initiative's global footprint includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.

Strengthening health systems

But this isn't just about mitigation. It's about strengthening the health systems upon which prosperous societies depend.

The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience, co-founded by AstraZeneca, the World Economic Forum and the London School of Economics, has brought together leading figures in academia, business, and healthcare in an effort to strengthen health systems against present dangers and future threats.

It is encouraging to see that the initiative's global footprint importantly includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Furthermore, prioritising early detection, prevention, and treatment of disease is essential to close the equity gap, keep people well, and enable health systems to adapt to the new realities of climate change.

Our Cancer Care Africa programme, where we work with local partners to improve breast, prostate and lung cancer care in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Kenya, is important in helping those already suffering from disease.

Efforts such as these have helped contribute to a top three position in the Access to Medicines Index for our company.

But with the MENA region warming twice as fast as the global average, we need to work twice as hard to build resilience and equity and mitigate the effects of climate change on human health. 

This is why further fostering collaborations in the region, exchanging best practices and establishing benchmarks and metrics will be crucial.

If we demonstrate that the healthcare sector can become more sustainable in all senses of the word, it will inspire others to emulate.

So, as the final preparations for COP28 are put in place, AstraZeneca and its many partners will be there, not as observers but as champions for action in the fight against the most significant public health emergency of our age: the climate crisis.

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Related topics climate change healthcare sector COP28