By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, Oct. 21, GNA – Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, has called for increased investment in climate-resilient healthcare, warning that the cost of responding to climate-related health emergencies could far exceed investments in prevention.
He made the call at a roundtable on financing climate-resilient health innovation held at the Wellcome Trust in Berlin on the sidelines of the 2026 World Health Summit.
Dr Nawaane, who is also a member of the Coalition of Parliamentarians to End Malaria in Africa (COPEMA), said floods, droughts and damage to critical infrastructure were already affecting access to essential healthcare services in Ghana.
He urged governments and development partners to prioritise preventive investments and integrate climate resilience into health financing frameworks and national development plans.
“The question before us is not whether we can afford to finance climate-resilient healthcare. The question is whether we can afford not to,” he said.
The roundtable was organised by Grand Challenges Canada, Global Health Advocates, Results Canada, WACI Health and Impact Santé Afrique to explore financing strategies for health innovations capable of withstanding the effects of climate change.
Discussions highlighted the growing importance of climate resilience in malaria-endemic countries, where changing climatic conditions could alter disease transmission patterns and extreme weather events could disrupt prevention, diagnosis and treatment efforts.
Dr Nawaane’s participation underscored the critical role of parliamentarians in ensuring that climate resilience is reflected in national health budgets, legislation and broader development priorities.
The COPEMA delegation also participated in a high-level discussion convened by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) on the role of Product Development Partnerships in delivering new interventions for neglected diseases to populations that need them most.
Participants stressed that the development of new medicines alone would not be sufficient unless supported by effective policies, regulatory systems, and sustainable financing mechanisms that facilitate timely access for patients.
Members of COPEMA called on parliaments across Africa to enact enabling policies, support accelerated regulatory pathways and allocate adequate resources to ensure that new malaria interventions reach affected communities without unnecessary delays.
The delegation’s participation formed part of COPEMA’s broader efforts to link global health commitments with decisions taken at the national level, where budgets are approved, policies enacted, and governments held accountable.
The World Health Summit, held from October 10 to 13, 2026, provided a platform for the delegation to participate in a series of side events in Berlin and contribute African parliamentary perspectives to discussions on sustainable health financing and health-system resilience.
The delegation comprised Mr Njume Peter Ambang, Co-Chair of COPEMA from Cameroon; Dr Nawaane of Ghana; and Mr Chief Billy Famous Adesuwa Osawaru of Nigeria.
Their participation highlighted the importance of parliamentary leadership in translating international health commitments into practical national action, particularly in strengthening health systems, improving access to essential medicines and sustaining progress towards malaria elimination.
The engagement also reinforced calls for governments to move beyond emergency responses and invest in resilient health systems capable of protecting vulnerable communities from the combined threats of climate change and infectious diseases.
COPEMA is a coalition of parliamentarians working to strengthen political commitment, legislative action and sustainable financing towards ending malaria in Africa.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Samira Larbie