Prioritising Planetary Health

About this episode

Professor Jemilah Mahmood discusses the importance of planetary health and its implications for global equity and justice.

Health is not just about us as individuals. It’s about the whole planet. It’s time we think about health on a worldwide scale. Professor Jemilah Mahmood is Executive Director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at our old friends Sunway University, in Malaysia. As a medical professional who has helped deliver 15,000 babies(!), she knows healthcare from the personal level. But she also has decades of experience managing crises in health, disaster and conflict settings. Jemilah talks us through her career and how watching a woman stranded with her newborn baby in a tree above crocodile-infested floodwaters in Mozambique led her to focus on equity and justice, helping those affected by conflict and disasters. She tells us about the concept of planetary health – and the similarities and differences to the one health agenda; the role of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health as a ‘think-and-do-tank’, which includes experts from across multiple disciplines; and how those who make the least impact on the environment are often those worst affected by the changing climate. We look at the links between planetary health and the planetary boundaries; the concept of Return on Value…

People in this episode

Guest: Professor Jemilah Mahmood

Topics covered

• planetary health
• equity and justice
• climate change
• healthcare
• education
• disaster management

Keywords

• planetary health
• equity
• climate change
• healthcare
• disaster
• education
• Malaysia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Sunway University

Places: Malaysia, Mozambique

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