The University of Plymouth has played a key role in helping to launch an initiative aimed at supporting South East Asia’s healthcare system to be more resilient to climate change.
The South East Asia Health Policy Network brings together leading figures – from disciplines including health, climate, architecture, engineering and artificial intelligence – from the UK and South East Asia.
It will further work carried out through the Climate-Adaptive Reimaginings for Enhancing Healthcare Spaces of the Future (CAREscape) project, a collaboration between researchers from the University of Plymouth and the University of the Philippines funded by the British Council.
And it will explore how best to develop tangible and practical solutions to protect healthcare spaces, with an initial focus on areas of The Philippines most severely affected.
The launch, held in the House of Commons on Tuesday 21 October, was sponsored by the first MP of Filipino descent to be elected to UK Parliament, Tony Vaughan, the MP for Folkestone and Hythe.
It showcased artistic interpretations of climate and health experiences from communities in Manila and potential solutions for continuing healthcare and infrastructure in the face of adverse conditions.
It also featured talks by researchers from the two universities, including an address by Professor in Clinical Epidemiology and Oral Health Research
Professor Mona Nasser
, lead of the CAREscape project.
She explained the Network’s drive for the pursuit of knowledge regarding the formation of the best clinical spaces in areas affected by devastating climate.
She also highlighted that the collaboration is helping to prepare the UK’s future resilience, saying:
“We don’t get a lot of typhoons and earthquakes, but we all feel the change of climate and the impact it has on all of us.”
Dr Ronald Law, Director Climate and Health, Philippine Department of Health, said taking action in The Philippines was imperative due to worsening storms, heatwaves, rising seas, and depreciating public health.
Expressing the Network’s intention to improve collaboration between the UK and South East Asia’s experts across various disciplines, he added:
“The Philippines has always shown the world that resilience is part of our DNA but we must now go beyond resilience, we must lead transformation. By integrating care and climate we are not only preparing our health systems from future crisis, but we are also preventing them. Together we must build a health system that heals sustainably, cares inclusively and leads courageously.”
