As the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explains: “Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.” This article will explain why sustainability in healthcare is so important and how you can help to make healthcare more sustainable for all.

What is Sustainable Healthcare?

Sustainable healthcare is healthcare that focuses on the health of both humans and the environment. In healthcare and beyond, caring for the environment is crucial in ensuring that everyone has a safe and healthy planet to call home. 

A healthcare system that prioritizes sustainability successfully meets the health needs of individuals living in the present day without putting the health of future generations at risk. Healthcare can be made more sustainable through various healthcare practices as well as advocacy for increased sustainability in the healthcare system.

Sustainable healthcare also aligns with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including climate action and ensuring healthy living and wellbeing. These goals are just a few of many that aim to make the world a better place for all who live within.

Benefits of Sustainable Healthcare

Sustainable healthcare greatly benefits the wellbeing of people around the world while also minimizing harmful environmental impacts. Here are some benefits of sustainable healthcare:

• Reduces the carbon footprint of the healthcare sector

A carbon footprint measures the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions that a person or entity is putting into the environment. Carbon dioxide makes up the majority of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere but can contribute negatively to climate change, especially global warming. (No Limit International Co-Founder Orlyola Tantchou warns about these dangers in her debut children’s book, “The Wildlife Warriors: Saving Their Habitats.”)

Contributors to the healthcare industry’s carbon footprint include nonrenewable energy sources in healthcare facilities, transportation, and unsustainable waste disposal methods. On the other hand, sustainable healthcare tactics, such as the use of renewable energy sources in place of fossil fuels, help reduce the healthcare sector’s carbon footprint and fight against global warming/other threats to the Earth’s health.

• Reduces pollution

Improper disposal of healthcare products can contribute to pollution, which hurts the environment. Within healthcare facilities, many healthcare products become waste upon use, including:

• Gowns
• Gloves
• Used syringes
• Surgical instruments and equipment
• Face masks

Instead, disposing of these products properly and/or using more environmentally friendly alternatives can improve the quality of the air, land, water, and other environmental components that make up our planet. This way, the Earth can better support the lives of those living on the planet.

• Leads to a healthier population

Sustainable healthcare practices makes the Earth healthier, which then leads to a healthier global population. For example, improved air quality (as a result of less air pollution) can prevent health complications like asthma and cancer from arising and/or worsening. Similar benefits to life on Earth can be seen through medical accountability, advocacy, and other initiatives that effectively promote healthy living for the Earth’s population in sustainable ways.

• Encourages other industries to be more sustainable

Sustainability in the healthcare industry shows others that anyone can help to make the Earth a healthier place. This includes other professional industries that may also benefit from converting to more sustainable practices in their everyday work routines. In this way, the healthcare industry sets a positive example for industries around it and acts as an active leader in the push for change.

How to Make Healthcare More Sustainable

Here are some ways that you can support sustainability in the healthcare system/promote sustainable healthcare for all:

• Avoid waste from healthcare products. Switch to more environmentally friendly healthcare products and dispose properly of any materials that cannot be reused.
• Volunteer. Support sustainable healthcare initiatives through volunteer work, community service, outreach, etc.
• Advocate for the spread of sustainable healthcare. Spread awareness on sustainable practices within the healthcare system and be an active part of the change by educating others.
• Donate money, sustainable healthcare resources, and related medical supplies. Many healthcare facilities can use these resources to make their healthcare practices and environments more sustainable for both medical workers and patients.

Support Sustainable Healthcare with No Limit International

With your support, No Limit International can continue to support those in need. Donate today and join us as we work towards improving living conditions, fighting hunger and poverty, providing youth education and recreation, and empowering individuals to believe in a better society.

To learn more about No Limit International, give us a call at +237 699 99 02 89 / +237 675 80 85 10 or contact us via email at info@nolimitinternational.org. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the world we live in.