Cross River State has come up with a Cross River Health State Adaptation Plan (CR-HSAP) aimed at confronting climate-induced health risks head-on after successfully concluding a workshop to domesticate the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP).
The three-day Technical Working Group Workshop, organized by the State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Palladium Lafiya Project, and held in Calabar, brought together a multi-sectoral team of experts from health, environment, agriculture, academia, civil society, and development partners to align global climate health strategies with the unique socio-environmental context of Cross River State.
Declaring the workshop open, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk, emphasized the urgency of building a climate-resilient health system and called for inter-ministerial collaboration to tackle the complex and interconnected nature of climate challenges.
“Climate issues are no longer solely environmental. They are deeply embedded in the social determinants of health. The time has come for ministries and stakeholders to move beyond territorialism and begin working together to adapt and implement a plan that serves our people,” Dr Ayuk noted.
He highlighted the creation of a climate health focal position within the Ministry of Health as a critical structural reform, enabling the government to coordinate more effectively and respond to health risks such as heat waves, vector-borne diseases, flooding, and food insecurity.
The Director General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Vivienne Otu, spoke in support of the initiative, stressing the need for grassroots preparedness and the strengthening of local health systems to deal with climate-related emergencies.
In a remark, the Programme Manager and Desk Officer for Climate Change and Environmental Health, Mr. Asuquo Henry Eyibio, applauded the Health Commissioner for his vision and leadership, and lauded the Palladium Lafiya Project and lead consultant Dr. Isa Iyortim for their financial and technical support.
Mr Eyibio also commended the Technical Working Group members for their hard work and commitment, noting that the draft CR-HSAP is a practical and state-specific blueprint designed to guide interventions that will shield the people of the State from the short- and long-term health impacts of climate change.
With the draft adaptation plan now in place, the next phase will involve validation by stakeholders, followed by an official rollout. Once implemented, the CR-HSAP will serve as a policy compass to navigate the evolving climate-health nexus and ensure the resilience and safety of communities across the state.
