Hospital are generally built to save lives. But the main comfortable truth is that delivery of healthcare itself leaves behind a important environmental footprint through the energy consumption, water use, all biomedical waste, single use plastics, emissions generated from supply chains and high resource medical infrastructure as well. On the occasion of world environment day, the entire healthcare sector should ask a difficult question: can we call care complete if it heals the patients but also burdens the environment which determines public health.
A sustainable healthcare is no longer a CSR related conversation. It is now a well clinical, operational and ethical responsibility as well.
The Hidden Cost of Care
On global basis, all healthcare system contributes a good seizable share to carbon emissions, while hospitals continue to remain among the most energy intensive buildings. In India, the main problem is even more complex since the sector is expanding greatly, mainly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. More hospital diagnostics, ICUs, pharmacies and medical devices mean better kind of access, but also higher waste and resource pressure as well.
Biomedical waste is considered as one of the most urgent concerns. Ranging from syringes and PPE to disposables and diagnostic waste, improper level of segregation can impact sanitation workers, communities and public health as well. Sustainability is not separate from the safety of patients. It is entirely connected to control of infections, standards and long-term health outcomes as well.
The Way Forward
The future hospitals should be designed not only for beds and machines, but for resilience as well. Entire leadership team should track the sustainability metrics the way they track occupancy, revenue and outcomes of patients. What gets measured ultimately gets improved. Main purpose of healthcare is to protect life, in such a climate stresses world, that purpose should extend beyond the medical treatment rooms so that future ready healthcare system will be one that save lives today without compromising the health of future.
as per conversation with Dr. Vineela Surapaneni, Consultant – Pulmonary Medicine, SPARSH Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore
