In 2022, devastating floods in Pakistan displaced 8 million people, the entire population of New York City.¹ Displaced people were left struggling to access basic healthcare, living with poor sanitation and unsafe water, and experiencing malnutrition.² This tragic event is just one example of how climate change is disproportionately impacting vulnerable regions in the Global South. These areas, already facing challenges like poverty and underdevelopment, are now battling increasingly severe climate-induced disasters that threaten lives and livelihoods.

Investors have the power to support organizations working to build resilient healthcare systems in the Global South and helping communities prepare to face future climate-related challenges.

Here are some ways that investments may help to promote health equity in the Global South:

Climate-Resilient Healthcare Infrastructure

• Fortify Facilities:  Support the design and construction of buildings that can withstand extreme weather events in disaster-prone regions. Robust materials, elevated structures, and natural ventilation and cooling systems are needed to ensure that healthcare facilities can withstand disasters like hurricanes, floods, and heat waves.
• Sustainable Energy:  In addition to structural integrity, ensure that healthcare facilities can remain operational when they are needed most. For example, one project has focused on creating solar-powered, typhoon-resistant hospitals in the Philippines, offering a model for resilience in disaster-prone regions.³

 Advanced Early Warning Systems

• Predictive Technology: Provide early warnings about droughts, floods, and other climate-related disruptions through accurate weather forecasting and robust communication networks. Investments in predictive technology can help local farmers and healthcare providers anticipate and respond to climate shocks, as seen with an Indian startup that supports farmers in mitigating crop losses.⁴
• Proactive Healthcare Response: Empower healthcare providers to prepare for emergencies with early information. Early warnings provide time for healthcare workers to stockpile essential medical supplies, evacuate vulnerable populations, and activate emergency response plans before disaster strikes. This proactive approach is particularly important in drought-prone regions of Africa. The World Meteorological Organization secured an $8 million grant from the Adaptation Fund to develop region-wide early warning systems in West Africa.⁵ These systems will help empower health authorities to anticipate water shortages and take preventative measures to safeguard public health.

Telehealth and Mobile Healthcare

• Bridge Gaps: Leverage technology to help deliver healthcare services to remote and underserved areas is especially crucial after climate disasters. For instance, drone technology is being used to address healthcare supply chain challenges in India and Africa.⁶
• Remote Care: Allow healthcare providers to connect with patients in disaster zones using technology. Telehealth helps reduce the need for patients and medical personnel to travel. For example, a healthcare-focused venture capital fund in India invested in a company that strengthened its Emergency Medical System through Rapid Emergency Dispatch – a telehealth-based solution.⁷ Similarly, mobile clinics equipped with basic medical equipment can reach populations cut off from traditional healthcare facilities due to extreme weather events. Following a disaster, telehealth services can provide mental health support to survivors, while mobile clinics offer essential primary care for displaced individuals.

Climate-Smart Health Workforce

• Specialized Training: Train healthcare professionals to recognize, diagnose, and treat climate-related health conditions, such as heatstroke and vector-borne. Training programs in Central America help empower healthcare professionals to address the rising prevalence of vector-borne diseases like dengue fever due to changing climate patterns.⁸
• Skill Development: Prepare doctors and nurses require specific training to handle the rising incidence of heat-related illnesses and develop efficient mitigation measures. For instance, a project in the Philippines is helping health workers to adapt with specific training on climate change’s health impacts.⁹

Community-Based Adaptation (CBA)

• Empower communities: Support local communities in addressing their vulnerabilities and building resilience to climate change. Investments in these local initiatives can include support for community-led early warning systems, climate-resilient agriculture, and sustainable water management practices.
• Unlock potential: Empower local CBA initiatives using blended finance, which combines public and private funds. For example, blended finance impact funds are already supporting local financial institutions and innovative companies in the Caribbean and Latin America that are developing climate-resilient solutions.¹⁰ Investing in CBA can help foster long-term community resilience, working to keep essential healthcare services accessible despite climate challenges.

By supporting projects like those outlined above, impact investors can be a part of the puzzle needed to create a more resilient and equitable global health system with the potential for financial returns.

Connect with us to learn how you can start your investment journey and work to support the world’s more vulnerable regions in the face of climate change. For more on investing for health equity, check out our primer, A Healthy Future.

¹  Reported to CapShift by organization. New York population equivalency.
² UNICEF
³ Reported to CapShift by organization.
⁴ Reported to CapShift by organization.
⁵ Adaptation Fund
⁶ Reported to CapShift by organization.
⁷ Reported to CapShift by organization.
⁸ Pan American Health Organization
⁹ Reported to CapShift by organization.
¹⁰ Healthy DEvelopments