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Climate resilient & accessible healthcare

Climate-resilient healthcare means ensuring that health systems can continue to function during and after climate-related shocks such as hurricanes, floods, and heatwaves. This involves strengthening infrastructure to withstand extreme weather, improving emergency preparedness, and integrating disease surveillance for climate-sensitive illnesses like dengue and heat-related conditions. Accessible healthcare ensures that all communities, including vulnerable groups, can receive timely treatment and preventive care. For islands like Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Martin, this is critical because climate change increases health risks while existing systems already face challenges such as workforce shortages and limited specialist services.

Measures include:

  • Check building safety: Make sure hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes can handle heat, floods, and storms. Include evacuation plans and upgrade buildings to be flood-resistant.
  • Track diseases: Strengthen systems to monitor mosquito-borne and other climate-related diseases. Connect this data to early warning systems to predict and respond quickly to outbreaks.
  • Use remote care: Expand telehealth and digital tools so people can access medical services even when travel is difficult.
  • Improve diagnosis and treatment: Invest in better tools and training for detecting and treating vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya.
  • Manage chronic disease risks: Develop plans to reduce health risks from conditions like diabetes and heart disease, which can worsen during disasters.
  • Promote healthy living: Support programs that encourage protective habits and address social factors that affect health.
  • Strengthen community care: Build up local health services, hire more community health workers, and improve teamwork across health providers.

Feasibility & Local Applicability

Building climate-resilient health systems is feasible but requires significant investment and coordination. Aruba’s Department of Public Health (DVG) and Curaçao’s Ministry of Health have begun integrating climate considerations into health planning, but infrastructure upgrades and workforce expansion remain priorities. Partnerships with the Dutch government and international donors can support financing. 

Co-benefits

Investing in resilient healthcare improves overall public health, reduces disaster-related mortality, and strengthens trust in health systems. It also supports economic stability by reducing the long-term costs of emergency response and recovery. Enhanced disease surveillance can prevent outbreaks, while community-based care models improve everyday health services and preparedness for future shocks.

Equity & Vulnerability Considerations

Climate impacts disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including older adults, people with chronic illnesses, and low-income households. Adaptation strategies must prioritize these groups by ensuring accessible facilities, affordable care, and culturally appropriate services. Community engagement and gender-sensitive planning are essential to avoid widening health inequalities. 

Costs

Medium - High | Costs vary depending on the scale of interventions. Retrofitting hospitals and clinics for climate resilience requires substantial upfront investment, but studies show that these costs are offset by reduced disaster recovery expenses and improved health outcomes. Funding can come from national budgets, insurance schemes, and international climate adaptation programs. Long-term savings include fewer service disruptions and lower disease burden.

Case-studies & Examples

Literature

Adaptation Options Overview