Sustainability And Health: The Future Of Green Healthcare
In a world where the intersection of health and the environment is becoming increasingly apparent, the healthcare sector finds itself facing a monumental challenge: addressing its significant impact on the climate whilst delivering quality care under often immense pressures.
As we grapple with the pressing realities of climate change and the budget and capacity constraints of health systems, innovative and sustainable solutions are paramount. Enter Health Economics – a powerful discipline poised to revolutionise how we approach this critical issue.
At the forefront of this is the Office of Health Economics (OHE), with the launch of the Change Initiative. This global cross-sector non-profit collaboration represents a bold vision: to leverage the insights of economics in developing evidence-based solutions to mitigate the environmental footprint of healthcare.
In this stream topics to explore include:
- Evaluating the economic implications of climate change on healthcare systems, including how this differs by geography and context
- Exploring how different stakeholder groups within healthcare systems can be incentivized and supported to achieve net zero
- Investigating the relevance and feasibility of sustainability in healthcare decision-making and procurement
- Exploring the health co-benefits of the transition to net-zero
- Identifying the win-wins: where can we make positive changes within the health system that drive better outcomes for health, health systems and the environment?
- Investigating barriers to progress towards sustainable healthcare and generating solutions
- Developing practical recommendations for different stakeholder groups within health systems to support them in achieving net zero
