15 April 2021 – by Ben St. Laurent
New data published in The Lancet Planetary Health indicates that the acute inequity in healthcare workers throughout the Northern Territory (NT) could become exacerbated by climate change as doctors in the region relocate to cooler climates. Contrasting the situation of refugees forced from their homes due to increasing environmental disasters and receding coastlines, the reality is that those who have financial and social capital are also relocating to more temperate areas.
The study surveyed 362 medical professionals in Australia’s NT in November 2020 (representing over 25% of the workforce) and determined that over one third of respondents are already considering leaving the NT (15%) due to climate change, or would be likely to consider leaving in the future (19%). Rising temperatures and drier weather are becoming more severe in the NT and are contributing to increased heat related illness and death in a healthcare system that is already understaffed and overburdened. Among doctors who responded to the survey, 85% agree that climate change is currently causing, or is likely to cause negative effects on the health of their patients. 75% percent agree that parts of the NT are becoming or will likely become uninhabitable due to climate change.
Australia’s NT is the third largest territory by land mass but also the least populated and most remote region according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the population is in decline. Approximately 30% of the 245,929 Australians who lived in the NT in 2019 are indigenous, compared to 3.3% nationally. Despite its high level of development, disparities in Australia remain wide. This recent report recognises that and a decline in the number of healthcare workers would further exacerbate inequities and put remote and indigenous communities at risk.
The authors of this study have called for a “National Plan for Health and Climate Change” to address the relationship between climate change and health. They recommend that “Health-care workforce supply should be considered in climate-related health risk assessments and adaptation strategies, and climate-related concerns should feature in the national health workforce strategy” (Pendrey et al, e184).
Sources
Pendrey, C., Quilty, S., Gruen, R., Weeramanthri, T. and Lucas, R., 2021. Is climate change exacerbating health-care workforce shortages for underserved populations?. The Lancet Planetary Health, [online] 5(4). Available at: <https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00028-0> [Accessed 14 April 2021].
