Climate Change To Be Part of Medical Curriculum: Why Is It Much-Needed?

Experts say the syllabus is in sync with a world that is increasingly reeling under the effects of climate change.

The health effects of climate change will soon be included in all medical courses across India. 

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working with various medical councils to include concepts such as rising heat and damaging air quality and their effects in medical education and the training of medical personnel in India, according to a report by The Times of India. 

But why is this a much-needed step? And why does climate change and its effects need to be studied separately? The Quint explains.

Why Do Medical Students Need To Study the Effects of Climate Change?

Dr Karan Thakur, who is a healthcare administrator and heads sustainability initiatives at Apollo Hospitals, explained to The Quint that the shift in the syllabus is in sync with a world that is increasingly reeling under the effects of climate change.

"Till date, clinicians have been taught to look at intraneous factors for  various diseases. For instance, earlier lung cancer was largely associated with smoking tobacco. However, studies have shown that lung cancer is now common among even non-smokers, thanks to air pollution which is an extraneous factor. The shift in the syllabus, therefore, focuses on how external factors also needs to be looked at now."

Dr Karan Thakur, Apollo Hospitals

Changed weather patterns induced by climate change is having an effect on the health and wellbeing of an individual, as a study by Lancet pointed out, and young clinicians, health practitioners need to comprehend that, he further elaborated.

Interestingly, a 2022 study had found that more than half (68.9 percent) of medical schools in India do not have climate change and health as a part of their official medical curriculum. However, the study had concluded that medical students show a keen interest in advocating for climate change along with a profound interest for it to be added to the already exhaustive curriculum in India.

‘Spike in Unprecedented Weather Events and Health Emergencies’

Climate change will have a significant impact on the spread of diseases, both in terms of the types of illnesses that occur and the regions they affect.

According to a 2021 study, increased temperatures might facilitate the spread of over 10,000 new zoonotic viruses in the next half century. Higher temperatures will drive the migration of species to areas that they have never been native to.

Talking to The Quint, Dr Thakur threw light on how the changed weather patterns have affected the transmissibility of certain diseases (especially vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue). 

“Dengue was often associated with being a post-monsoon period disease. But, in December, when there was a spike in dengue cases in Delhi, it threw light on the fact that a changing weather pattern created an unprecedented health crisis.

"Changing weather patterns, most notably a shift in patterns and intensity of rains and higher temperatures well into the traditional winter months in north India, have meant that the climatic suitability of dengue has increased. It will help clinicians to be prepared for such emergencies," said Dr Thakur.

A 2022 study by Nature.com read, "By 2070, disease-spreading animals are likely to congregate much more in high elevation and highly populated areas like Asia."

This means that the instances of diseases like monkeypox, chikungunya, and COVID-19 are just the tip of the iceberg, and that newer diseases may likely show themselves in humans.

'Curriculum Must Also Include Impact of Health Sector on Climate As Well'

Dr Thakur said the curriculum must include the impact of the health sector on global emissions.

"The health sector accounts for just over 5% of global emissions. It is important for doctors and healthcare workers to understand that the materials they use, the treatment they render, has an impact on the climate. For example, the anesthesia gases that we use in our operation theatres are more carbon-intensive than greenhouses gases like methane and carbon. It is important for them to understand this in order to come up with greener solutions in healthcare," he added.

Why Is It Important for India?

The global south, of which India is a part, is estimated to be one of the worst regions to be affected by climate change. As a report by the  United Nations Inter­gov­ernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put it, India will face extreme scenarios emerging from climate change on almost all fronts – from rising sea leve­ls to groundwater scarcity, from extreme weather patterns to a fall in crop production, besides a rise in health hazards.

With the population of the country set to surpass China’s, it would perhaps not be an exaggeration to say more than 1.37 billion people are vulnerable to climate change.

How will India as a whole be impacted by climate change – and what will be the likely impact of all the climate change factors? Read this to find out more.