Why We Need An Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare System
A Sustainable Healthcare System improves, maintains, or restores health while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and leveraging opportunities to restore and enhance it to the benefit of the health and well-being of current and future generations.
-WHO-
Our health system in Nigeria currently stands as one of the most carbon-intensive systems in the world. Research evidence points to the fact that many hospital practices contribute significantly to the hazards in our environment. These hazards span from poor waste management, harmful emissions, intense energy, and resource use, amongst others.
We cannot have more healthy people if our environment does not support healthy living. As the need for environmental sustainability has become imperative, health systems worldwide have adopted more environmentally friendly measures. A well-established sustainability-inclined system will offer not just the healthcare industry but everyone innumerable benefits, some of which include;
Energy Efficiency
Hospitals require a large amount of energy to operate. Energy consumption in hospitals has been reported to be two and half times that of other commercial places. Think of how much energy all the heating, lighting, sterilization, ventilation, cooling, and other processes require. Hospitals can install upgraded lighting, high-efficiency motors, and boilers. Occupancy sensors can be installed to minimize air changes within a space. We could also make more use of renewable technologies like solar power. This approach will save energy consumption and make it possible to divert energy resources to other sectors and uses.
Lower Carbon-Print
Reports show that 5% of global carbon emissions are from the health care sector. It is also said that if our healthcare sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Our healthcare system contributes to carbon emissions in a variety of ways. And hospital wastes contribute to methane-generating landfills and toxic chemical generation from poor incinerations. Hospitals operate 24hours in 365 days, continuously consuming energy and contributing to the carbon print in the environment. So changing the carbon-emission narrative of the healthcare system would go a long way in saving our planet from the effect of rising greenhouse gas emission levels, taking us farther away from the earth’s destruction.
Reduced Waste Generation; Efficient Waste Disposal
Every year, hospitals generate millions of tons of waste, and most of them are improperly disposed. The impact is even more intense in low and middle-income countries. Hospitals have become and need to be more intentional about purchasing more eco-friendly, durable, reusable, and recyclable supplies. Waste reduction through careful purchase, eco-friendly packaging, composting of food wastes saves the time and effort for waste disposal. Reusing and recycling wastes offer immeasurable economic benefits to not just hospitals but everyone. In addition, the adoption of more appropriate disposal methods saves the hazards of filthy landfills. Indeed our planet would be more habitable if we have less waste combating our comfortable existence.
Water Conservation
Water conservation may sound like an alien term to the healthcare system as the system is water-demanding. However, sustainability aims to find ways to operate optimally with minimal adverse effects on the environment. Water scarcity is common in many parts of the world; meanwhile, water contamination and wastage are intense in the healthcare industry. Adopting strategies like management of leaks, installation of metering devices, and water-efficient technology is imperative. Finding ways to consume less water in the hospital makes water available for many other people on the planet to meet their needs.
Improved Health
Hospitals generate all types of harmful wastes; infectious, pathological, radioactive, and cytotoxic wastes, all of which are harmful to the patients, workers, and the general public. Health care centers need to be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly as they tend to brood pathogens and germs. When disposed of improperly, the harsh chemicals used in cleaning and disinfection can also cause diseases to residents.
But is it possible to adopt chemical-free cleaning and disinfection methods in the hospital? With more intentional practices to mitigate the potential harm caused by the industry, diseases like leukemia, asthma, cancer, drug-resistant conditions, genetic disorders, etc., from harmful emissions and toxic chemical disposals would be prevented. Once again, you cannot have a healthy population if the environment does not support healthy existence.
Cost Efficiency
Contrary to most beliefs, implementing and maintaining an environmentally sustainable healthcare system is cost-effective. Sustainability improvements can be quite expensive, but in the long run, they significantly lower operational costs and offer more invaluable benefits. Sustainability efforts would naturally increase the viability of the healthcare sector. The basic sustainability efforts require little or no costs. Several strategies can bring immense cost savings to hospitals. Recycling, reusing single-use devices, and eliminating unused items in surgical packs would save us billions based on the estimated number of surgeries done annually. Energy conservation strategies will reduce utility bills, which usually occupy a significant position in the hospitals’ budgets. In the end, these strategies offer us financial saving opportunities, which can be directed to the growth of our economy and even the healthcare system itself.
Conclusion
Ironically, the very system that promotes good health is rated as a major contributor to our increasingly unhealthy environment. Are you a healthcare practitioner? What efforts are you making to ensure that healthcare practices are environmentally sustainable? Remember that the most minor changes, when practiced on a large scale, make the most significant impact.
Author: Christiana Ugbem
Photo: www.expatica.com
