Healing patients in a healthy environment
Healthcare can play a leadership role in advocating for a healthy and sustainable future.
The effect of climate change is prevalent worldwide and can have a detrimental impact on human health. Healthcare facilities are often energy-intensive enterprises and contribute inadvertently to climate change, leading to respiratory and other illnesses. Reportedly, hospitals contribute towards 4% of the world’s carbon footprint, and there is an increasing need to bring this number down. By moving towards carbon neutrality, the industry can play a leadership role in advocating for a healthy and sustainable future.
In an interview, Dr. Fatih Mehmet Gul, CEO, Fakeeh University Hospital said, “We can not damage the environment while trying to heal people. Because the more we damage the environment, the more people’s health will be affected. Therefore, as healthcare organizations we cannot be the cause of damaging the health of our populations,”
He shared that Fakeeh University Hospital is leading the way in sustainability. Its hospital building, located in Dubai Silicon Oasis, is the first to have been awarded the Gold LEED certificate. The hospital has also released Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports annually since 2009 and participates in several environmental and social projects to promote sustainability. Furthermore, it is reportedly the only private hospital in the world to have joined the Terra Carta initiative led by King Charles III. The initiative is a global proposition that provides a roadmap to 2030 for businesses to move towards a sustainable future.
Dr. Mehmet Gul stressed that technological advancements today also pave the way for hospitals to become more sustainable and enhance patient outcomes. It empowers healthcare practitioners to make informed clinical decisions and diagnoses and offers suitable treatment options.
Recently Fakeeh University Hospital signed partnering agreements with health tech enterprises such as Symed, GE Healthcare, Abdul Lateef Jameel Health, Baxter, Philips, and Emitac Healthcare Solutions to enhance its commitment to benchmarking smart healthcare in the region.
He concluded by saying, “Healthcare is one of the industries that create huge amounts of data every single day. This data will only be helpful and useful for us if we find ways to leverage effectively. With the high adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, we can finally make this data usable and offer patients better services. The future is exiting.”
