climate change: implications for maternal mortality and disease

8/12/2019 Climate Change: Implications for Maternal Mortality and Disease

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March 13, 2014

Climate Change: Implications for MaternalMortality and Disease

Tripta Singh

Email: [email protected]

Deputy Director, Energy Access, Energy and Climate

United Nations Foundation

www.unfoundation.org

www.energyaccess.org


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Health Impacts of Climate Change on

Women!""#$ !&'()*" +,-$)* (./ !./,-$)* !&'()*" 0. 10&$.

Health ! Increase in infectious, water-borne or vector-borne diseases,

e.g., malaria, due to increased

temperatures and intensified

storms

! Heat-related illness! Malnutrition! Increased air pollution, allergies

and asthma

! Mental disorders such asanxiety and depression

! Pregnant and lactating women, alongwith the very young and very old, are

most vulnerable to health threats

! Increased lack of health-care services,immunizations, family planning,

reproductive health care in disaster

zones! Potential increase in maternal and

infant mortality rates due to lack of care

! Lack of services and hygienic suppliesin relief shelters for pregnant, lactatingor menstruating women

"#$%&'( )*+,


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Women and Health

287,000 women globally die from preventablecauses during pregnancy and childbirth. 99

percent of these deaths occur in developing

countries.

Ensuring effective provision of maternal andcommunity health services to women in these

countries is critical.

Electricity is a critical enabler in makinghealthcare services available to women.


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Energy and Womens Health

Inadequate or lack of lighting in clinics posesbarriers to the delivery of quality healthcare,

discourages patients from seeking care, and

compounds the risks of adverse outcomes.

A new analysis by the World Health Organization the first multi-country analysis of electricity access in

health facilities found that only 34% of hospitals

have reliable electricity access in surveyed sub-

Saharan African countries.

Hot spots of mortality and disease closely matchareas where health facilities lack electricity.


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Health Impacts of Fuel-based Lighting

Indoor pollutants from fuel-based lamps includemultiple hazardous materials an order of magnitudehigher than health guidelines. Correlations withcataract and tuberculosis observed, but requirefurther study.

Fuel-based lighting is a significant cause of structuralfires and severe burn injuries, with particularly highdeath rates (24% on average) in cases wherekerosene is adulterated with other fuels, resulting in

explosions.

In India, nearly 15% of all burns are caused bykerosene lamps, with a 7.4% mortality rate and afemale male incidence rate of 3:1.

"#$%&'( -./%'0&' 1'%2'3'4 *.5#0.3 -.6#%.7#%8'9 :


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Sustainable Energy for All Initiative

1.2 billion people worldwide are without access to electricity, and a

billion more have only intermittent access. 2.8 billion peoplelack

access to clean cooking solutions.

In response, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched a newinitiative in 2011 by the same name, calling on governments,

businesses, and civil society to make commitments to action to

accomplish three objectives by 2030:

The UN General Assembly Member States have unanimously declared

2014-2024 as the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All.


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Energy Access Practitioner Network

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Energy and Womens Health

High Impact Opportunity Area

Multi-disciplinary initiative led by the UN Foundationin partnership with WHO and UN Women.

Bringing together partners from the energy andhealth sectors, governments, business and civilsociety to develop and deliver decentralized,sustainable energy solutions to remote areas.

Target regions include sub-Saharan Africa, South/southeast Asia and parts of Americas with highmaternal mortality rates. Assessments beingconducted in 5 sub-Saharan Africa countries in thepilot phase.


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Our Approach

Identify target countries with high need, high maternalmortality, and high engagement with SE4All.

Develop global evidence base linking energy access in healthcare facilities to health outcomes.

Develop global evidence base on energy access and energyrequiring equipment access for womens health interventions. Develop and promote procurement of sustainable energy

sources and energy efficient medical devices critical towomens health.

Develop tools for health worker education, and maintenance,training, and capacity building.

Develop and implement a comprehensive communicationsand advocacy strategy.


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Example of Practitioners

We Care Solar We referred out a woman last week who had obstructed labor. The hospital

staff was ready [to perform a Caesarean section], the equipment was ready,

but the public utility went off at 8 p.m.," reports a midwife at a hospital innorthern Nigeria. "The woman died on the way to the next hospital." Dr.

Laura Stachel, WE CARE Solar

,?#7# &%'@879( AB CDEB "#3.%


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SELCO-India


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Please join us!

For more information, visitwww.sustainableenergyforall.org

climate change: implications for maternal mortality and disease

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