Authors:
Adediji, Naheemah A¹ ; Amidat Eniola Olatunji²; Abdulhameed, Sherifat Olaide²; Egya, Idris Adamu² ; Onaderu, Taiwo Abolarinwa²; Oluwaseyi Egbewande Muyiwa³
About:
¹Editor-in-Chief, CYTOBIZ Medical and Innovation Hub [Research and Development Department]
²Research Intern, CYTOBIZ Medical and Innovation Hub [Research and Development Department]
³Assistant Editor-in-chief, CYTOBIZ Medical and Innovation Hub [Research and Development Department]
THE RISING THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE TO AFRICA’S HEALTH SYSTEMS
The majority of nations have witnessed the effects of climate change on their healthcare systems, and the African healthcare system has been particularly hard hit. From harsh weather to rising disease burdens, Africa’s health systems are struggling with the growing effects of climate change. Due to the increasing frequency of heatwaves, intensifying floods, and spreading vector-borne diseases, climate change is already compromising health throughout Africa.
The health system in Africa faces significant challenges due to climate change, making comprehensive strategies to improve resilience necessary. In Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar, health facilities were destroyed during the 2023-2024 Cyclone Freddy, which led to a Cholera outbreak and serious interruptions in the supply of care, including cold chains for vaccine preservation.[1]
Flooding and extreme heat erode the stability of healthcare infrastructure, power outages threaten lighting and refrigeration, and inadequate sanitation system increases the danger of infection. Furthermore, a lot of African health systems have budgets that are less than 5% of total national spending, which makes it difficult for them to respond to issues like supply chain distributions, personnel shortages and rising patient numbers.
This is where the concept of “Green Hospital” was introduced. It’s a revolutionized solution offered by a Heliyon study (2024) which analyzed how hospitals can combine renewable energy systems, natural ventilation, sustainable materials, waste minimization and carbon reduction techniques, in order to promote stability and resilience. Installing renewable power will ensure that the hospitals maintain lighting, refrigeration and essential medical equipment reliably even when there is a grid failure or fuel shortage. Meanwhile, the Africa CDC’s 2025 strategic framework for climate change and health made emphasis on integrated, continent-wide plans on green infrastructure, sustainable funding, community participation and technology-enabled solutions to make the healthcare system climate-adaptive. [2]
These initiatives show that greening hospitals is not just an environmental ideal but a practical strategy to uphold care during crises. Hence, Africa’s hospitals must urgently embrace green, climate-resilient practices to safeguard public health.
THE REALITY: WHY AFRICAN HOSPITALS ARE VULNERABLE
African hospitals are considered vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to poor infrastructure, energy systems, water and sanitation, and bad governance. Many African hospitals operate with old facilities designed for earlier climate norms, leaving them inadequate for the current climate extremes. High temperatures expose poorly ventilated buildings leading to heat accumulation. During the 2020 West African heat wave, few hospitals in Lagos reported indoor increases of temperatures to 40°C, affecting the patient and staff productivity (Adegun & Adelekan, 2023). Similarly, cyclones in Mozambique, they reported repeatedly damaged critical healthcare infrastructure, with repair costs diverting funds from essential services (WHO, 2022).
Interrupted power supply in some African countries lead to life threatening vulnerabilities in climate issues. Power outages disrupt sensitive hospital equipment which includes ventilators and refrigeration for temperature sensitive medications. Renewable energy is the best policy in Africa, with few East African hospitals having good solar backup systems (Global Health Alliance, 2022). There is a 60% water shortage during dry seasons, leading to increased hospital related infections in Uganda during the 2022 dry season (Nakabuye et al., 2022).
These indicate that climate change contributes to not infectious disease but water scarcity and flooding events severely impact hospital functionality with only 12 African countries having clear climate resilience guidelines for healthcare facilities weak policy framework hospitals vulnerabilities. Poor concern of clear climate smart healthcare policies leave hospitals in the region unprepared for increasing climate extremes.
Hospitals in Africa require a fast approach in addressing climate vulnerabilities, with infrastructure retrofitting, renewable energy integration, water system resilience, and policy development that should be the priority. Avoiding these measures in the region, casualties of climate change will be maintained.
GREENING HOSPITALS: WHAT IT MEANS AND ITS BENEFITS
A green hospital uses natural resources in a cost-effective and ecologically responsible manner to lower carbon emissions. While healthcare is vital, hospitals must make the most of their resources in order to deliver high-quality treatment.. Healthcare infrastructure, mainly the hospital, if it effectively adopts the use of natural resources, can upgrade patient care and treatment while promoting green building principles globally.[3]
The intervention in a hospital ward included a greening of all publicly accessible areas, including the main living room, corridors, and staff areas. A landscape architect drew out the plan based on the staff launch meeting, the literature research, and the ward layout. The aim was to improve readability, restoration, sensory stimulation, and diversion from disease and death, with a focus on key elements of healing and age-appropriate environments such as familiarity, security, direction, and memory elicitation.[4]
African hospitals are being revolutionized by sustainable healthcare, demonstrating that lowering dependency on high-energy robotics can save costs while enhancing care. Many hospitals in Kenya are solar-powered. For instance, the well-known hospital Merti Sub-County ensures that there is a standby electricity supply for essential services to reduce energy costs by as low as 60%. South African hospitals prioritise energy efficiency by using water-saving technologies, LED lighting, and insulation to lower utility costs to improve patient comfort. The innovations minimise carbon release and increase resilience during the crises caused by climate, ensuring continuous care even in the event of severe weather or power outages. Reducing unnecessary robotics and implementing green infrastructure can increase efficiency without sacrificing patient outcomes. Many hospitals make provisions for the construction of climate-smart facilities and reroute to life-saving services by investing in solar power and energy efficiency. South Africa and Kenya are prime examples of sustainable healthcare providers.[5]
PATHWAYS TO BUILD CLIMATE-READY HOSPITALS IN AFRICA
Building climate-ready hospitals requires smart planning, innovation/ technology, and efficient partnerships. It’s not just about constructing new health facilities– it’s about changing how healthcare facilities are being designed and operated to withstand the increasing threats of climate change. The pathways to achieving this transformation lie in five (5) core areas. They are highlighted as follows:
- Climate-smart facility:
Hospitals must be built or upgraded to withstand extreme weather conditions such as; heatwaves, storms and floods. Governments should prioritize climate – smart facilitie codes and integrate them into health policy systems. According to WHO (2023) – “Hospitals that were designed with climate risk in mind suffer minimal disruptions during emergencies”. Ministries of health need to ensure that every new project that would be embarked on concerning healthcare systems or facilities must include climate adaptation strategies. [6]
- Innovation and Technology:
Technology makes hospitals smarter and more resilient. Solar panels can provide a reliable power supply; rainwater harvesting can sort out water shortage problems, and smart – cooling keeps patients safe without a high rate of energy costs. Also, waste management innovations reduce pollution rate and enable hospitals’ operations to be cleaner.
- Financing or Funding for Sustainability:
Money plays an essential role in this transformation. Governments cannot shoulder the costs alone. Partnership with private investors, international donors, and climate finance bodies–like the “Green Climate Fund” are important. Pooled -resources can aid the installation of solar panels, eco-friendly infrastructural and building materials.[7]
- Training and Human Capacity:
Resilient hospitals are not only about strong defense but also about skilled people. Health workers must be trained on emergency precautionary measures, energy conservation, and sustainable waste management. When hospital staff understand these practices, they can keep facilities running efficiently even during crisis.
- Advocacy and Youth Development:
Young Africans are already shaping the conversation on climate change. Their energy and innovation will continue to drive positive changes and push leaders to take action. Advocacy campaigns, research, and entrepreneurship are means through which young people can take the lead in building greener hospitals for the future.
FINAL THOUGHTS
An appeal for a sustainable future in Health Africa is at a turning point in its history, and failure to act could have disastrous effects on public health. Hospitals, our last line of defense, cannot afford to be at risk as climate change worsens. Hospitals that fail during the climate crisis are too expensive for Africa. It is obvious that stakeholders need to take decisive action. Climate-smart policies need to be implemented by governments, while funding and technical support should be provided by NGOs and foreign donors. Health care professionals and communities must embrace eco-friendly operations and sustainability practices. Above all, young Africans need to keep pushing for innovation and advocacy in order to make climate resilience a top priority.
In Africa where impacts of climate change are deadly, hospital greening is a necessity for survival and imperative for saving lives – not merely an environmental concern.
Greening of hospitals is a life or death issue. In times of disaster, communities can be safeguarded, lives can be saved and care becomes uninterrupted due to a robust, sustainable, green healthcare system.
The decisions we make today will determine the health of Africa in the future. It is imperative to invest in climate-ready hospitals; it is not an alternative. Together, the public, commercial, and governmental sectors can create a health system that will protect future generations and endure the impacts of climate change.
AUTHORS’ CONTRIBUTION
Adediji Naheemah A conceptualized the topic and supported the formulation, and review of the article. Amidat Eniola Olatunji, Abdulhameed Sherifat Olaide, Egya Idris Adamu, and Onaderu Taiwo Abolarinwa were involved in drafting the article and implementation of corrections based on editorial feedback. Oluwaseyi Egbewande Muyiwa assisted with editing and review to enhance the overall clarity of the article. All authors approved the final version for publication.
