SC Connecticut News

Countries worldwide are reportedly not meeting their commitments to enhance the sustainability of their health care systems, as highlighted by a recent study co-led by Jodi Sherman from Yale. The study indicates that these nations are failing in various areas, including effectively assessing and monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and planning for more sustainable health care systems.

Jodi Sherman, an associate professor at Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health, stated, "The health care sector is responsible for nearly 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and results in 4 million Disability Adjusted Life Years lost annually." She emphasized the need for health systems to become more resilient to climate-related challenges.

The research, published in Lancet Planetary Health, evaluated the progress made by over 80 countries involved in the COP26 Health Programme initiated during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. This program aimed to promote climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems. However, only 30% of these countries have conducted essential vulnerability assessments of their health care systems.

Despite commitments from 85 countries to adopt low-emission or net-zero health care systems, these account for just 26% of global health care emissions. Moreover, only 11% have assessed their emissions, and less than half have incorporated health care into national climate strategies.

The study highlights significant gaps in monitoring sustainable health care progress using World Health Organization indicators. Iris Martine Blom, a physician and Ph.D. candidate at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, expressed concerns about this issue: "Without meaningful tracking, we risk giving the illusion of progress while the real work remains unfinished."

The authors urge countries to develop robust outcome indicators for monitoring progress toward sustainable healthcare goals. Andrea MacNeill from the University of British Columbia and Xuejuan Ning from Yale School of Public Health also contributed as co-authors alongside Sherman.