20 March 2024
As the country continues to break weather records in south-eastern Australia and with over 100 weather records broken in Queensland alone this summer, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) says that healthcare systems across the country remain unprepared to deal with more frequent and extreme weather events.
The extreme weather events in South Australia and Queensland occur on the back of last month’s ‘catastrophic’ fires in Victoria which called for mass evacuations in some parts of Victoria, destroyed homes and displaced people from their homes in extreme heat and weather conditions.
RACP President Dr Jacqueline Small says, “We cannot ignore the signs any longer. The vast, extreme weather events we are seeing demonstrates the dire need for a climate-resilient health system across the country.
“There are record-breaking events happening right across the country and our health systems remain unprepared to deal with the potential impacts of them.
“The reality of climate change is that these events are going to become more frequent.”
In its pre-budget submission, the RACP has called on the Federal Government to urgently and fully fund the National Climate and Health Strategy.
“Physicians are concerned that our healthcare system will not be able to support Australians during these extreme weather events if this strategy is not fully funded, resourced and prepared specifically for managing our changing environment and climate conditions.
“That’s why the Healthy Climate Future campaign has such widespread support across the medical sector – we know this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
“Climate disasters disproportionality affect communities already facing complex health, social, and economic challenges, including those that live in rural, regional and remote areas. A commitment to a climate-friendly health system can also contribute to improving health equity and access.
“If we keep waiting for the next climate disaster to improve the resilience of our healthcare system, we will never be in a position to deliver quality, accessible healthcare to Australians. The time to act is now.
“Our health system needs to be equipped to handle the increasing impact of extreme weather effects, or we risk Australians not accessing the healthcare they need,” says Dr Small.
The RACP’s full pre-budget submission can be found here.