Pune (Voice news service):- KEM Hospital R C and KEM Hospital Pune successfully hosted the prestigious 9th Banoo Coyaji Oration at Pocha Hall, Boat Club, Pune, on Friday evening.The oration was delivered by renowned public health expert Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, FRS, Chairperson of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), and former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Dr. Kurus J Coyaji, President of the KEM Hospital Society , Dr. Xerxes Coyaji, Medical Director, KEM Pune, Dr. Laila Garda , Director, KEM Hospital Research Centre, Shirin Wadia, CEO, KEM Pune, Dr. Rakesh Shah, COO, KEM Pune, were amongst others present on the occasion.
Speaking on “Community, Climate and Care – Reviving People-Centred Public Health Systems,” Dr. Swaminathan said that India, like all nations, is increasingly vulnerable to climate change, with extreme weather events occurring almost every day across different regions. Rising temperatures, water scarcity, reduced food production, and environmental degradation are significantly affecting public health. Climate change is impacting health outcomes , while disproportionately impacting women, children, and vulnerable communities. Air pollution remains one of the biggest threats to life expectancy, with nearly 70 percent of Indians living in areas exceeding safe air quality standards. Heat-related illnesses and mortality are also rising, alongside the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, injuries, and ageing-related health concerns.
To address these challenges, health systems must become climate-sensitive, locally responsive, and continuously evolving. Cities need resilient, sustainable infrastructure that supports both people and the planet. Greater focus is needed on quality healthcare, geriatric care, and reducing health inequities driven by unhealthy diets, tobacco, alcohol, etc . Communities and the healthcare workforce must remain at the centre of public health action.
Invoking the concept of bio happiness as envisaged by her father renowned Prof MS Swaminathan , Dr.Soumya Swaminathan proposed “bio-happiness” as a measurable sustainable development framework, a holistic framework where human well-being is deeply connected to biodiversity conservation and includes natural capital, physical capital, financial capital , human capital and social capital. This could create harmony between people and nature, ensuring sustainable health, nutrition, livelihoods, and development for present and future generations.
The lecture also focused on the importance of integrating climate-sensitive healthcare policies, improving primary healthcare delivery, and empowering local communities to build sustainable health systems for the future.
Dr. Laila Garda said that ‘The Banoo Coyaji Oration’, instituted in memory of Dr. Banoo Coyaji’s pioneering contribution to community health and rural healthcare in India, continues to serve as an important platform for dialogue on critical public health issues.
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