A government order (GO) issued by Additional Chief Secretary Supriya Sahu, stated the Hub will strengthen surveillance and research, promote inter-sectoral collaboration, enhance capacity building, and facilitate the development of green healthcare infrastructure. This includes retrofitting hospitals with climate-resilient measures such as solar panels and energy-efficient systems
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced the setting up of a “One Health and Climate Hub” within the Health Department to address the interconnected challenges of human, animal, and environmental health amid climate change.
This “pioneering initiative” aims to develop integrated strategies, formulate policies, and create action plans to mitigate health risks arising from climate change, with a focus on vulnerable communities.
A government order (GO) issued by Additional Chief Secretary Supriya Sahu, stated the Hub will strengthen surveillance and research, promote inter-sectoral collaboration, enhance capacity building, and facilitate the development of green healthcare infrastructure. This includes retrofitting hospitals with climate-resilient measures such as solar panels and energy-efficient systems.
The Hub will collaborate with expert agencies to create frameworks for addressing the challenges of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) and mapping health impacts and climate change-related diseases. It will focus on understanding the geographical spread of zoonotic diseases, vector-borne diseases, heat stress, respiratory illnesses from air pollution, and waterborne diseases.
Additionally, it will work on developing predictive models using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assess future disease trends based on climate scenarios.
“As a state at the forefront of climate action, Tamil Nadu faces unique challenges, including rising temperatures, zoonotic outbreaks, vector-borne diseases, coastal vulnerabilities, and biodiversity loss,” an official release stated.
These challenges require an integrated and proactive approach to safeguard the health of communities, especially vulnerable populations in tribal, coastal, and high-risk areas.
“The establishment of the ‘One Health and Climate Hub’ reflects Tamil Nadu’s commitment to creating a resilient healthcare system equipped to address the impacts of climate variability and environmental degradation,” the release added.
The Hub will play a pivotal role in promoting sustainable and equitable development by integrating the goals of the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) with Tamil Nadu’s climate initiatives.
Further, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines the ‘One Health’ approach as an integrated and unifying framework aimed at balancing and optimising the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.