The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries across the Asia-Pacific region to urgently strengthen their emergency health workforce, warning that rising and interconnected climate, disease, and environmental risks are placing increasing pressure on already stretched health systems.
The call was made during a regional meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where more than 100 delegates from 49 countries reviewed findings from a wide-ranging risk analysis under the WHO-led Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework. The analysis drew on insights from over 800 experts and highlighted the growing complexity of overlapping health threats across the region.
According to WHO, more than half of the assessed hazards are closely interconnected, meaning that events such as floods, cyclones, and droughts can trigger secondary health crises including infectious disease outbreaks. Officials warned that isolated responses are no longer sufficient, and that countries must adopt coordinated, cross-sector approaches to build resilience.
The report identified flooding, cyclones, dengue, respiratory disease outbreaks, antimicrobial resistance, and landslides among the most significant risks facing the region. WHO Regional Director Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala said environmental changes, including sea-level rise and coastal erosion, are further amplifying these threats, particularly in vulnerable Pacific island nations.
To address these challenges, WHO has called on governments to invest in strengthening emergency workforce capacities, improve multisector coordination, and secure sustainable financing for preparedness and response systems. The organization also emphasized the need to integrate emergency planning into primary health care systems and ensure that communities most at risk are actively involved in preparedness efforts.
Another key recommendation is improving risk communication and aligning public health messaging with seasonal and location-specific risk patterns to ensure faster and more effective responses during crises.
Despite growing challenges, WHO noted that the region already has a strong foundation of health workers, including clinicians, laboratory specialists, rapid response teams, and emergency medical units. However, it warned that these resources remain fragmented and must be better integrated to function effectively during large-scale emergencies.
To support this transformation, WHO is advancing the Global Health Emergency Corps initiative, which aims to create a coordinated, cross-border emergency workforce capable of rapid deployment during health crises. Supported by international partners, the initiative is designed to ensure faster, more consistent responses to future outbreaks and disasters.
WHO officials stressed that strengthening emergency workforce readiness is essential to protecting lives in an increasingly unpredictable global health environment, where overlapping crises are expected to become more frequent and severe.
