Transcript South African Medical Association (SAMA)

Government’s National Climate
Change Response Green Paper
Professor E. Coetzee
President
INTRODUCTION
 The South African Medical Association (“SAMA”) is the professional
association as well as a trade union for doctors in South Africa.
 SAMA welcomes the opportunity to comment on the government’s
national climate change response green paper.
 Government engaging stakeholders.
BACKGROUND
 Attention to Climate Change by Doctors.
 Impact due to alterations in Global Climatic Patterns.
 Climate Change impact predictions for South Africa.
 Climate Change on Population Health as well as Health Systems and
Service.
 Research linking Climate Change to dire affects on health.
BACKGROUND>>>cont.
The fundamental concern for SAMA, as a medical association, is the various
links between climate change and the burden of disease (and shifts in
burden of disease).
a. Higher temperatures will expand the range of some vector-borne diseases, such
as malaria, which already kills 1 million people annually in the world, mostly
children;
b. Altered distribution of some infectious disease vectors ;
c. Increased numbers of people suffering from death, disease and injury from heat
waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts ;
d. Increased malnutrition and related disorders, including those relating to child
growth and development – this may in turn impact on the MDG pertaining to
child-mortality;
BACKGROUND>>>cont.
e. Increased burden of diarrheal diseases ;
f. Increased cardio-respiratory morbidity and mortality associated with ozone
depletion effects;
g. Increased numbers of people at risk of dengue ;
h. Social and health inequalities due to possible desertification, natural disasters,
changes in agriculture, feeding and water policy which will have consequences
on both human health and human resources in health.

South Africa – Contributor to Green House Gases.
SPECIFIC COMMENTS
The South African Medical Association, as a member of the World
Medical Association (WMA), is inviting the Government to involve the
medical profession in whatever possible and practical measures aimed at
reducing the burden of disease, along the following broad categories of
actions recommended by the WMA.
a. Leadership and Advocacy
b. Education and Capacity Building
c. Surveillance and Research
d. Collaboration
CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD
Taking the above discussed facts and factors into considerations:
a.
SAMA congratulates the government for initiating a policy process to
deal with climate change.
b. SAMA commends the government for identifying Human Health as
one of the key sectors required to implement, primarily, climate
change responses.
c.
Although SAMA currently does not have a formal position on climate
change, the Association is committed to seeing the resources of
medical knowledge and expertise being put to use in any identified
national strategies to avert adverse effects of climate change in
South Africa.
CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD >>cont
d.
SAMA regrets the fact that, as a developing nation, it is a victim of
human actions of industrialized nations that are major emitters of
carbon.
e.
SAMA is committed to participate as far as it can, in all national
efforts towards, prevention of , adaptation to, or mitigation of,
effects of climate change,
f.
SAMA recognizes that doctors, like any other citizen, have personal
responsibilities, on a day to day basis, to reduce harmful actions in
their .

SAMA Conclusion.
Questions
Thank You