The health system’s response strategies to the effects of climate change extreme weather events in Malawi. A policy analysis

Introduction: The effects of climate change and extreme weather events on the health system are becoming unbearable globally. We conducted a health policy analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the health policy response strategies to the effects of climate change extreme weather events on the health system in Malawi and identified response gaps for improvement. Methods The policy triangle model was used to analyze health system policies. A list of policies was obtained from the Department of Policy, Planning, and Development at the Ministry of Health. We retrieved the policies from the Ministry of Health Website, and hard copies were obtained for those not published online. A data extraction form was created to capture all climate change-related themes and group them according to the policy triangle model, which includes: context, content, process, and actors. We also identified gaps in policy responses to climate change. Results In total, 32 health policy documents were listed and recommended by the Department of Planning at the Ministry of Health for analysis. Out of these, only three had climate change-related themes and strategies. Contextually, the policies were aligned with both local and international goals. The contents of the analysed policies have climate change themes and strategies. The process involved wide consultations with both national and international stakeholders. The actors involved included government ministries, local councils, development partners, community leaders, and international organizations. Lack of health system-specific climate change strategies and guidelines, lack of clear funding mechanisms, limited inclusion of local knowledge, and lack of response strategies to build capacity among health workers were some of the gaps identified. Conclusion The health system in Malawi is moving in the right direction to minimize the effects of climate change extreme weather events on health. The availability of climate change themes and strategies in the analyzed health policies provides evidence that the impact of climate change extreme weather events have affected the health system in the country. We recommend the formulation of climate change-specific health policy with clear strategies and financing mechanisms.