Public health will also be included to national adaptation plan: Saber

Public health will also be included to the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said today (16 April).

"Health issue was not included to the 113 agendas of NAP. Now we are considering to include health issue to NAP. Environment has a relation with public health," he told reporters after a meeting.

Chairman and first secretary of the Climate Health and Environment Group at the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka Dr Daniel Novak met Environment Minister Saber Hossain at his Secretariat office.

Environment Secretary Farhina Ahmed and First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy Nayoka Martinez-Backström were present, among others.

Saber Hossain said a new NAP could not be formulated now but his ministry wants to bring the health issue in the current structure of NAP.

He said the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka has been working on this issue for a long time. 

"They have already given us some of their recommendations. So, I spoke to them today about how we can move forward with this matter. We will not formulate a separate health NAP but want to add the health issue to the present NAP," he said.

The minister said, "We want to strengthen the development relations with Sweden in this area."

He said when the issues of floods, cyclones, sea level rise, salinity and food security are discussed, the health issue comes too.

" There is a negative impact on the coastal areas and the women living there. As such, the issue of public health arises. Due to salinity and fresh water shortages in the coastal region it puts peoples health at risk," Saber Hossain said.