Healthcare

Even though environmental health and climate change are rapidly intensifying the severity of determinants of disease and inequity, training for health professionals in these areas remains fragmented across Europe. To address this gap, the European Medical Association (EMA), in collaboration with the European Network on Climate and Health Education (ENCHE), the International Network on Public Health and Environment Tracking (INPHET) and University College London, convened a one-day hybrid roundtable in London on 17 September 2025, focused on “Preparing Health Professionals for Environmental Health and Climate Change: A Challenge for Europe”. The programme combined keynote presentations on global and European policy, health economics and curriculum design with three disease-focused roundtables (respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological conditions), each examining the following topics: (A) climate and environment as preventable causes of disease; (B) healthcare as a source of environmental harm; and (C) capacity building through education and training. Contributors highlighted how environmental epidemiology, community-based prevention programmes and sustainable clinical practice can be integrated into teaching, illustrating models from respiratory, cardiovascular, surgical and neurological care. EU-level speakers outlined the policy framework (European Green Deal, Zero Pollution Action Plan and forthcoming global health programme) and tools through which professional and scientific societies can both inform and benefit from European action on environment and health. Discussions converged on persistent obstacles, including patchy national commitments to decarbonising healthcare, isolated innovations that are not scaled and curricula that do not yet embed sustainability in examinable clinical competencies. The conference concluded with proposals to develop an operational education package on environmental and climate health; map and harmonise core competencies across undergraduate, postgraduate and Continuing -professional-development pathways; and establish a permanent EMA-led working group to co-produce a broader position paper with professional and scientific societies. This conference report summarises the main messages and is intended as a bridge between practice-based experience and a formal EMA position on environmental-health training in Europe.

In recent decades, palliative care has become an essential component of modern healthcare systems [...]

Background: Black and racialized immigrants with disabilities in Canada face overlapping systems of exclusion rooted in racism, ableism, and migration status. Yet, their experiences within health and rehabilitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic remain largely undocumented. This study explores how structural inequities shaped access to healthcare, rehabilitation, information, and community supports in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Methods: Using narrative inquiry, ten in-depth interviews were conducted with participants who identified as Black or racialized, disabled, and having immigrated to Canada within the last 10 years. Narratives were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify how systems, relationships, and policies interacted to shape daily life, health and rehabilitation navigation during the pandemic. Results: Participants described systemic barriers in health and rehabilitation systems, experiences of “othering” and conditional belonging, and the critical role of informal and faith-based networks in navigating inaccessible services. Pandemic policies often intensified existing inequities. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for intersectional health and rehabilitation planning that centers the voices of Black and racialized disabled immigrants. Addressing systemic racism and ableism is essential for equitable preparedness in future public health emergencies.