The manager of the Galician Health Service (Sergas), Luis León, today highlighted the importance of strengthening the healthcare network against extreme climate phenomena during his participation in the Climate Change and Health Conference, held at the Ministry of Health in Santiago de Compostela.
León explained that climate change represents one of the main challenges for 21st-century public health, with direct effects on morbidity, mortality, healthcare demand, the sustainability of health systems, and health equity. He noted that Galicia faces risks such as heatwaves, forest fires, vector-borne diseases, and impacts on infrastructure and services.
In this context, the Sergas manager emphasized the need for the Galician public health system to advance in two directions: adaptation, to ensure care continuity and protect the most vulnerable groups; and mitigation, to reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare activities through energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, green procurement, and responsible management of healthcare waste.
