The health system’s response strategies to the effects of climate change extreme weather events in Malawi: “a policy analysis”

Abstract

Introduction: The effects of climate change and extreme weather events on the health system are becoming unbearable globally. We conducted a health policy analysis to understand the health system’s response strategies to the effects of climate change extreme weather events in Malawi and identified implementation response challenges for improvement. Methods: The policy triangle model was used to analyze health system policies. A list of policies was obtained from the Department of Policy, Planning, and Development at the Ministry of Health. We retrieved the policies from the Ministry of Health Website, and hard copies were obtained for those not published online. A data extraction form was created to capture all climate change-related issues, which were grouped according to the policy triangle model, including context, content, process, and actors. We further identified implementation challenges to climate change. Results: In total, we obtained 32 health policy documents from the Department of Planning at the Ministry of Health that were screened for climate change-related issues. Out of these, only three had climate change-related themes and strategies. Guided by the policy triangle framework, we present our findings under five themes: policy context, policy contents, policy process, actors, and the implementation gaps. Contextually, the policies were aligned with both local and international goals. The contents of the analyzed policies have climate change thematic areas and strategies not specific to health system improvement. The process involved situation analysis and consultations with both national and international stakeholders. The actors involved included government ministries, local councils, development partners, community leaders, and global organizations. Some of the implementation challenges include a lack of health system-specific climate change strategies and guidelines, a lack of clear funding mechanisms, limited consideration of local knowledge, and a lack of capacity building strategies among health workers. Conclusion: The health system in Malawi is moving in the right direction to minimize the effects of climate change extreme weather events on health. The availability of climate change thematic areas, objectives, and strategies in the analyzed health policies shows that some efforts are being made to address the effects climate change extreme weather events in the country. We recommend developing climate change-specific health policies with clear strategies and financing mechanisms.