Several European medical schools teach students about climate change.
Several European medical schools teach students about climate change.
In three years, the network wants to teach 10,000 medical students.
The next generation of European doctors will learn more about climate change’s health implications from 25 medical schools in 12 nations in three years.
The UK University of Glasgow-led network argued that “Medical schools do not do enough to prepare future doctors to recognize and manage the health problems tied to climate change, such as extreme heat and air pollution.”
Health hazards and climate change were only taught in 15% of medical schools worldwide in 2020.
Climate change is connected to an increase in respiratory disorders, heart and lung difficulties, cancer, mental health concerns, mosquito-borne infections, and other health issues. Extreme heat killed nearly 47,000 Europeans last year.
Co-chair of the new network and head of Glasgow University’s medical, veterinary, and life sciences college Iain McInnes said, “The health impacts of climate change are becoming ever more dangerous, from the spread of infectious diseases to increasingly deadly heat waves.”
He said, “As educators, it is our duty to make sure that the upcoming generation of physicians, health professionals, and medical leaders have the abilities they need to meet these challenges and be able to give patients the best care possible.”
The new network includes universities from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. McInnes hopes more will join.
They want to standardize medical school climate and health training to meet the demands of medical students who perceive climate change as a significant health problem throughout their careers.
According to Glasgow medical pupil Esther Ngoy, “the climate crisis is one of the greatest urgent, troubling problems you face right now as a generation.”
European Medical Student’ Association spokeswoman Luka Delak told Euronews Healthcare that the curriculum should include professional training and postgraduate study outside medical schools.
Delak believes the focus on climate and health may benefit clinicians “who might not have received formal training in this area.”
Founded at the World Health Summit in Berlin, the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force, a UK-based initiative to reduce healthcare sector carbon emissions, has the support of the WHO and pharmaceutical companies.
In addition, the new cooperative will be the European hub of a 2017 Columbia University worldwide network. The company says it touches 175,000 pupils globally yearly.
