Journal of Climate Change, Disaster Risk and Resilience Studies
Healthcare Facilities and Their Challenges Due to Hazards in the Himalayas: An Integrated Review
Abstract
Subhash Kumar Jha, Sonam Mishra, Meenakshi and Priya Hooda
Healthcare facilities serve as the first responders to any calamity, operating under extreme pressure during disasters while often lacking the proper infrastructure needed to cope with surge demands. The health system faces a double challenge: managing regular patients while simultaneously caring for disaster survivors. International research documents the negative effects of climate change on healthcare facilities, with studies reporting damaged infrastructure, disrupted supply chains, and overwhelmed services. According to Braithwaite et al. (2024), health systems have remained unprepared for climate disasters. The WHO framework on climate resilient health systems and global case exemplars emphasize the urgent need for systematic adaptation, resilience, and recovery capacity. In the Indian context, climate change has emerged as a defining challenge for disaster management, especially in Himalayan regions. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and glacial retreat have intensified hazards like flash floods, landslides, and forest fires. The Kedarnath flood (2013) and the Chamoli glacier disaster (2021) exemplify climate shocks that severely disrupted communities and health systems . Recurring forest fires in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh reflect longer dry seasons and rising temperatures, placing additional pressure on already vulnerable health systems [1-8].