Health system and policy response to climate change in the West Bank, Palestine: Current situation and priority actions

Climate change is a critical global risk to humans and ecosystems, influencing water and food security, air quality, and shelter, causing substantial direct and indirect health consequences. This includes heightened risks of infectious diseases, undernutrition, heat-related morbidity and mortality, and a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Health systems encounter dual challenges: they are highly influenced by the adverse impact of climate change and contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The effects of climate change on health systems are more severe in low- and middle-income countries, which are the least responsible for global emissions. Palestine's challenges are intensified by prolonged military occupation, limited resources, and a fragmented health system, making it especially vulnerable. This study explores the current health system and policy response to climate change in the West Bank, Palestine, with the aim of identifying gaps and determining priority actions to strengthen health system resilience and sustainability. This is a descriptive qualitative study that applied the 2023 WHO framework for climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems. The research utilized policy document analysis of climate-related national policies and health-related sector strategies, plans, practices and regulations. This is complemented by key informant interviews (KIIs) with different relevant stakeholders from different institutions and governance levels, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with different stakeholders in the West Bank. Findings reveal that while some polices on climate resilience and sustainability have been developed, their implementation remains limited. The workforce is insufficiently trained, and there is limited routine data and research on climate and health. Moreover, the health system has not yet integrated resilient and sustainable health operations, technologies, and infrastructure into service delivery. Furthermore, financial constraints are a major barrier, as the system operates under budgetary pressure and scarce resources. Priority actions include strengthening climate-related data collection and research, improving workforce capacity through structured training, increasing community awareness, and securing funding for resilient and sustainable health operations. Addressing these issues is fundamental to strengthening the Palestinian health system in response to climate change.