Paper short abstract:

Vulnerable communities like Makoko, an urban slum, face dire healthcare challenges worsened by climate change. This study highlights how the need for climate adaptation can also help revitalise healthcare services in vulnerable communities. Thus, address both climate & health vulnerabilities.

Paper long abstract:

Vulnerable communities are in dire need of healthcare revitalisation due to their pre-existing limited access to healthcare services. Climate change events exacerbate these pre-existing challenges, further straining healthcare systems and worsening health outcomes. This study focuses on positioning climate adaptation as a tool for addressing the persistent healthcare challenges in such communities. Using Makoko, the world’s largest floating slum located in Lagos, Nigeria, as a case study, this study highlights how targeted climate adaptation strategies can simultaneously serve as pathways for healthcare revitalisation. Makoko exemplifies the intersection of social vulnerability and climate exposure. Its residents face a disproportionate burden of waterborne diseases, respiratory infections, and vector-borne illnesses due to poor sanitation, overcrowding, and environmental hazards. Climate change compounds these challenges through intensified flooding and rising sea levels, making healthcare revitalisation an urgent priority. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, employing field observations and in-depth interviews with residents and healthcare workers to explore Makoko’s healthcare challenges and the potential of climate adaptation to address them. The findings reveal that while climate change worsens health conditions in Makoko, the community’s healthcare system has long been inadequate. Climate-resilient interventions, such as floating clinics, improved sanitation infrastructure, and mobile health services, could mitigate both climate and health vulnerabilities. This research argues that beyond mitigating climate change, adaptation strategies must prioritise improving healthcare in vulnerable communities. It calls for policymakers to recognise climate adaptation not only as an environmental imperative but also as an opportunity to strengthen healthcare systems in underserved communities.