Trauma care in the face of climate change in Pakistan

Abstract

The effect of climate change on society is broad and profound. Studies have shown that low-income countries face the greatest number of deaths due to disasters, with 33% of those deaths occurring in countries with the lowest human development indices.1UN Office for Disaster Risk ReductionThe human cost of disasters: an overview of the last 20 years (2000–2019).https://www.undrr.org/publication/human-cost-disasters-overview-last-20-years-2000-2019Date: 2020Date accessed: April 13, 2023Google Scholar Extreme weather events have killed 10 000 people and caused US$4 billion of damage in Pakistan, which is continuously placed among the top ten most susceptible countries on the Climate Risk Index. The country is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to its high rates of multidimensional poverty.2Climate Change Knowledge PortalPakistan—vulnerability.https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/pakistan/vulnerabilityDate: 2021Date accessed: April 13, 2023Google Scholar The need for a fundamental health-care system that offers high-quality medical care to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic level, is crucial in the face of such problems. As the world grapples with the difficulties posed by climate change, it is crucial to understand how natural disasters and extreme weather events affect the delivery of essential health-care services, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Lenzen and colleagues3Lenzen M Malik A Li M et al.The environmental footprint of health care: a global assessment.Lancet Planet Health. 2020; 4: e271-e279Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (168) Google Scholar highlight the environmental effect of the health-care industry and advocate for a crucial health-care system that is resilient, ready, and capable of providing emergency and trauma care. This aim is especially important in LMICs, where environmental trauma has a profound impact and resources are typically scarce. The need for effective trauma care is becoming increasingly urgent.3Lenzen M Malik A Li M et al.The environmental footprint of health care: a global assessment.Lancet Planet Health. 2020; 4: e271-e279Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (168) Google Scholar Health-care systems must be flexible, adaptable, and resilient in the case of an emergency. In Pakistan, where climate change has hit hard, there is a growing need for trauma care facilities that can adapt to such challenges. Global surgery is a crucial component of this endeavour. Global surgery strives to provide all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic situation, with safe, inexpensive, and timely surgical and anaesthesia care. WHO has recognised the importance of global surgery in achieving universal health coverage and improving health outcomes, particularly in LMICs. The Lancet Commission on global surgery has also recognised the relevance of global surgery in solving surgical care difficulties and improving health outcomes, particularly in LMICs.4Meara JG Leather AJM Hagander L et al.Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare, and economic development.Lancet. 2015; 386: 569-624Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1961) Google Scholar Building a resilient and responsive trauma care system in Pakistan, where the burden of climate-related trauma is considerable, depends on establishing a global surgery framework that takes trauma care principles into account. A framework for providing critical trauma care in situations with low resources is provided by the WHO Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care in LMICs. This framework contains fundamental surgical techniques, trauma team instruction, and suitable referral channels. By using this strategy, trauma care professionals in Pakistan can ensure that they are prepared to deliver prompt and effective care to trauma patients, even in the face of natural catastrophes and extreme weather events.5WHOGuidelines for essential trauma care.https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/guidelines-for-essential-trauma-careDate: 2012Date accessed: April 13, 2023Google Scholar To conclude, the impact of climate change on health-care systems, particularly trauma care, cannot be overstated. The need for a resilient and responsive trauma care system in LMICs such as Pakistan is crucial to reduce the burden of climate-related trauma. Implementing a global surgery framework that incorporates trauma care principles and the WHO Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care in LMICs is an essential step in achieving this goal. By focusing on preparedness, response, and resilience, we can build a trauma care system that can effectively respond to the challenges posed by climate change, ensuring that all individuals have access to safe, affordable, and timely trauma care. We declare no competing interests.