The chairman of the Board of Directors at Goulburn Valley Health was discussing the $168.5 million redevelopments
at the Shepparton institution when he mentioned the health threats implicit
with a stay in hospital, not only Shepparton.
Coincidently, Chairman Ryan’s comments came about the same
time the Melbourne-based Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) had released its
National Strategy for Climate Health and Wellbeing.
In a letter to the Health Minister Susan Ley, the CAHA said: “We write to you, as health
and medical professionals, out of concern for the health and wellbeing
impacts that climate change is having on the Australian
community and to encourage you to help lead the development of a national
strategic response to the health impacts of climate change.”
Further, and almost serendipitously,
a recorded piece from the University of Melbourne’s public health specialist, Professor Mark Stevenson, appeared in my
inbox.
He was discussing the need to
prioritize physical well-being in our urban planning to achieve better human health outcomes through
emphasizing active transport modes like cycling and walking while discouraging
dependence on cars.
Mr. Ryan told the U3A session
that being personally an active cyclist he would ensure cycling facilities were
prominent at the refurbished hospital reinforcing, unknowingly, the professor’s
message.
The importance of the Shepparton-based GV Health to the city
and the greater Goulburn Valley cannot be overstated, nor can its fragility
because of the infrastructure on which it depends is more likely to fail when
under pressure from rising temperatures.
The state’s power system can, and does fail, particularly
when the heat soars, and to counter that the hospital has installed a diesel-powered
electrical backup system.
 |
| Atmospheric scientist, Professor David Karoly from the University of Melbourne. |
However, that system has its limitations and would not be
equal to powering the hospital through several days with temperatures beyond 50
degrees Celsius.
Is that fanciful thinking? Well, not according to University
of Melbourne atmospheric scientist, Professor David Karoly, who several months
ago warned that a well prepared Shepparton needed to be ready for heatwaves of
that magnitude.
And so while we need to embrace these planned changes and
improvements to the city’s hospital, we also need to think seriously about what
we can do personally and as a community to help abate those difficulties cited by
Professor Karoly.
Yes, the climate is changing. Yes, it’s bringing changes to our weather system unhelpful to our
health, personally and more generally. Yes, those changes are human-induced and there is is no comfort to be drawn
from those who deny what is happening.
And yes, as Mr. Ryan says
spending time in the hospital, any hospital, may well be inherently dangerous,
but our failure to positively respond to climate change increases that danger
by an incomprehensible factor.
