Last week, we discussed whether the discarding of medical waste into water bodies was as big of a deal as was made out to be by news companies. An overwhelming number of thoughtful responses made their way into the comments section. As a result, this week's article is an interactive one: Read the article below, and voice your opinions too!
As a contributor of 5-6% of the United Kingdom’s total carbon emissions, the National Health Service (NHS) plays a larger than expected role in the UK’s drive to achieve a net-zero economy by the year 2050. In this article, I shall expound upon some of the questions that the NHS should ponder upon before contemplating their strategy to becoming completely green.
· What treatments should be modified to reduce their carbon footprint? An average medical consultation creates 4.8 kg of CO2 and overall, an average medical institution produced 30 tonnes of CO2 per year. Medical drugs produced 5.5% of CO2 emissions, while in-house laboratory and X-rays contributed less than 1% each. Emergency analyses requiring courier transport caused 5.8% of all emissions. Support activities generated 82.6% of the total CO2.
· What Vehicles Should be Invested in To Reduce Transport Emissions? 45.7% of the total CO2 generated by medical institutions in the UK came about because of medical ambulances and support vehicles transporting patients to clinics and healthcare facilities. Would the cost of replacing these with electric vehicles and hydrogen-powered vehicles be overpowered by the possible benefits of the same?
· Should A New Standard for Optimal Healthcare Be Drawn Up? 40 new net-zero hospitals have been commissioned as part of the UK Government’s Health Infrastructure Plan in 2019: this begs the question, should being ‘net-zero’ be made a pre-requisite for building new hospitals anywhere in the UK? Has healthcare in the UK advanced to a point that such a practice could be made commonplace?
· What Research Should Be Given Priority? The time has arrived for the NHS seriously introspect upon what research they should be subsidizing and funding. After all, what is the point of conducting research on an item that would never be able to be used when all of us become extinct because of the difficulties brought upon us as a result of climate change?
What Questions Do You Think Should Be Addressed?
Having read our questions on a ‘net-zero’ NHS, the onus is now on you. What questions do you think the NHS should answer while drafting their strategy on combating climate change?
Write down your answers in the comments section. Additionally, answer the survey question on the right!
We look forward to hearing what you think about this issue!
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