The health system strategies and responses to the effects of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
1
Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Climate change is now regarded as a global health challenge of the 21st century, posing a negative health risk to the population. Sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately affected more than any other region worldwide. This study was conducted to map the health system’s strategies and responses to the effects of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa.
METHODS:
Electronic database searches were conducted on PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Medline, and grey literature from Climate Health Africa Resources, Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, and World Health Repositories. We targeted articles published from January 2015 to January 2025. Covidence software was used for study selection and data extraction. The results were analysed using descriptive analysis.
RESULTS:
Out of 9434 articles, 8 studies met our inclusion criteria. Out of the eight, two were country-specific literature review studies, two cross-sectional studies, two qualitative studies, one systematic review, and one mixed-methods study. The location of the included studies was from Ghana (n=2), Senegal (n=1), Ethiopia (n=1), Tanzania (n=1), South Africa (n=1), and two were multi-country studies. Most studies provided strategies and responses centered on service delivery, health workforce, health information, leadership and governance, with few on health financing and medicinal products. Implementation challenges identified include inadequate funding, lack of knowledge among health workers on CC and health, inadequate surveillance and reporting structures, and low prioritization of climate change activities among health workers.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings provide an opportunity to inform policy and the formulation of guidelines that will enhance the health system’s response to the effects of climate change in the Sub-Saharan region. Prompt efforts should be made to reduce the impact of climate change on health systems if the Sub-Saharan African region is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the desired African Agenda 2063.
Climate change is now regarded as a global health challenge of the 21st century, posing a negative health risk to the population. Sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately affected more than any other region worldwide. This study was conducted to map the health system’s strategies and responses to the effects of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa.
METHODS:
Electronic database searches were conducted on PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Medline, and grey literature from Climate Health Africa Resources, Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, and World Health Repositories. We targeted articles published from January 2015 to January 2025. Covidence software was used for study selection and data extraction. The results were analysed using descriptive analysis.
RESULTS:
Out of 9434 articles, 8 studies met our inclusion criteria. Out of the eight, two were country-specific literature review studies, two cross-sectional studies, two qualitative studies, one systematic review, and one mixed-methods study. The location of the included studies was from Ghana (n=2), Senegal (n=1), Ethiopia (n=1), Tanzania (n=1), South Africa (n=1), and two were multi-country studies. Most studies provided strategies and responses centered on service delivery, health workforce, health information, leadership and governance, with few on health financing and medicinal products. Implementation challenges identified include inadequate funding, lack of knowledge among health workers on CC and health, inadequate surveillance and reporting structures, and low prioritization of climate change activities among health workers.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings provide an opportunity to inform policy and the formulation of guidelines that will enhance the health system’s response to the effects of climate change in the Sub-Saharan region. Prompt efforts should be made to reduce the impact of climate change on health systems if the Sub-Saharan African region is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the desired African Agenda 2063.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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