admin With the mounting impact of climate change and global warming, we are on the brink of answering a radical call for change. A shift to sustainability is no longer about a simple tax rebate or an ornamental ‘green batch’. Given the dire conditions of the environment, we as a species need to embrace sustainability as the only way of life rather than an alternative mode of existence.
This sustainability has to be reflected in all aspects of our living. The healthcare sector is faced with the mammoth challenge of embracing this change, for any resistance to it will jeopardize our collective futures as a species. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), a ‘Sustainable Healthcare System is a system that improves, maintains, or restores health, while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and leveraging opportunities to restore and improve it, to the benefit of the health and well-being of current and future generations.’ This implies that healthcare systems that are dedicated to the optimization of operational protocols also care to remain environmentally conscious. Listed below are the 4 most crucial ways healthcare providers can embody this sustainability to pave the path for a better tomorrow for mankind.
- Follow Environmentally-Friendly Waste Disposal Protocols
Although there are myriad nuances and procedural steps involved in the waste disposable protocols that are peculiar to each healthcare organization, most providers may deem all following the steps unnecessary or simply time-consuming. This simple sidestepping of norms can be harmful to the environment as well as the patients. The kind of waste produced by a healthcare service provider will be dependent on the nature of the services it provides. However, it is quite well-known that most waste materials coming out of mainstream healthcare providers contain medical waste items that need to be disinfected to neutralize their impact on the environment. This process of neutralizing is not very green. It often releases large amounts of toxic fumes into the air, while also consuming a significant amount of fuel. Healthcare providers must try and opt for more environmentally-conscious ways of disinfecting medical wastes like autoclaving, microwaving, and chemical treatments.
- Becoming Energy Efficient
This one’s a no-brainer since it’s not a practice solely suggested for the world of medicine and healthcare. Given the rapidly deteriorating condition of our environment, we need to become holistically energy efficient. Hospitals and similar healthcare providers can do their part by reprogramming their heating and cooling systems to optimize energy consumption. They can also change their bulbs and lighting to ones that are designed to conserve electricity. While reducing the carbon footprint of the entire healthcare industry may seem like a humungous task, it can be achieved when such small steps are collectively taken!
- Practice Chemical Safety
Practicing chemical safety is another way in which sustainability within healthcare can be achieved. This boils down to what kind of chemicals are being used to disinfect the area, sterilize equipment, beddings, etc. It is also about what kind of appliances are being used within the premises of the healthcare provider. If such providers switch to fluorescent and CFC-free machines and devices, they can go carbon-neutral quite easily. Thus, conscious purchasing decisions can be crucial when trying to practice chemical safety. Moreover, healthcare providers must also practice recycling products to reduce waste production.
- Conserve Water
This is yet another thumb rule that applies to both the healthcare industry as well as to the general masses. Water conservation is one of the main ways in which we can hope to build a sustainable future for the human race. Healthcare providers can cross-verify their water consumption rates and look for surpluses in their water budgets. Locating such surplus areas will also help them find alternatives to the use of water in such areas. This will inevitably help reduce their overall consumption.
While the implementation of such principles is bound to help healthcare providers induce sustainability into their operations, it is not a task that can be achieved overnight or through the willpower of a single individual. In order to achieve the avowed goals of sustainability, active engagement and collaboration on the part of both management and employees are needed. There needs to be a sense of responsibility instilled in the workers that makes them feel responsible for using such environmentally conscious tools. Sustainability has to be woven into the very fabric of the healthcare organization. Anything short of such a dedicated commitment to the cause will not suffice, given the condition of the environment and our closing window for achieving change.
Magazine 
