VICDOC Summer 2023 - Magazine - Page 12
HEALTHCARE SUSTAINABILITY IS
ABOUT PROVIDING CARE THAT
CONSIDERS ENVIRONMENTAL,
SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL LONGEVITY.
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In simple terms, it’s about looking after
people in a way that doesn't cost the planet
or our community wellbeing. We've
developed societies and healthcare systems
with high carbon, high resource intensity,
and they're not sustainable. Several highlevel issues impact healthcare that all
converge towards needing to make our
system more sustainable. Climate change
is the most prominent issue for me, but
an ageing population, increasing morbidity
and the costliness of the ongoing provision
of a social healthcare system are also
factors we need to consider.
THERE'S A VERY REAL ETHICAL
PARADOX AT PLAY HERE.
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By virtue of practicing high carbon
healthcare, we're inadvertently contributing
towards climate change and therefore
to the very diseases that we're seeking
to manage and treat. I think this ethical
challenge drives why we, as health
professionals, need to address this issue.
PRIMARY RESEARCH UNDERPINS MY
UNDERSTANDING OF AND COMMITMENT
SUSTAINABLE HEALTHCARE.
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As a medical student, I quantified the
amount of renewable energy that our
hospitals use across the country.
Then I focused on mapping the
pathophysiological implications of climate
change on the organ systems of the body.
Most recently, at a national level my
research has been focused on auditing
our nitrous oxide procurement. I’ve then
focused on translating that research into
advocacy to support decision makers to
consider environmental sustainability.
12
AMA VI C TO RIA
IN 2022 THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
ANNOUNCED A NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE
HEALTHCARE UNIT FOR AUSTRALIA.
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It has been rewarding being involved
in advocacy for a national sustainable
healthcare unit to coordinate and lead
efforts by our sector. Given healthcare
is a large proportion of the Australian
economy, decarbonisation of our market
share can even influence other sectors.
We also need state-based sustainable
healthcare units, and I’m happy to say
that the Victorian Government is in
the process of developing a sustainable
healthcare unit. It’s so important to have
a state-level unit to coordinate and
support hospitals’ implementation of
the changes that will be required as we
become more sustainable, and then to
liaise at a federal level.
THERE IS PLENTY OF LOW HANGING
FRUIT — THINGS WE CAN EASILY CHANGE
WITHOUT FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING
OUR CLINICAL PRACTICE.
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The Australia-wide audit of nitrous
oxide purchasing indicated that between
70-90% of what's being purchased is
being leaked to the atmosphere from
hospital pipes, which indicates a need
for infrastructure improvement. The
propellants in our asthma puffers are
another everyday example – there are dry
powder alternatives that are about 3,000
times less harmful. And then of course
unplugging our electricity supply from
the fossil fuel coal plants and plugging in
to renewables doesn't cost clinicians any
long-term extra thought or change to their
practice. Making these kinds of changes
would knock potentially half of our
current emissions.
