Having the opportunity to provide national health systems with tools to mitigate the effects of climate change is an opportunity of the present, which directly affects the future of people’s health. The link between adverse climatic effects and human action is an unquestionable fact. For this reason, opening the range to new proposals for sustainable development has become one of the priorities of the medical profession in the Canary Islands. Carlos Cabrera, from the Dr. Negrín University Hospital in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has promoted an initiative of the Collegiate Medical Organization, which has led the General Council of Physicians to create the Medical Alliance once morest climate changetogether with scientific societies.
The objective is to bring the climate crisis closer to health professionals in order to recommend sustainable actions to patients, in the same way that they recommend healthy habits. This was explained during the conference held at the end of March at the British Embassy in Spain: ‘Spain and the United Kingdom, building Sustainable Health Systems: Adaptation and Decarbonization’.
“There is a permeability of doctors in society, sustainability is linked to the health of patients and it is necessary to give advice on sustainable practices”
In this sense, the pulmonologist contributed different daily practices to reduce the carbon footprint of health professionals, such as betting on pharmacological prescriptions that have a broader temporal coverage, such as recommending treatments that should be taken every 8 hours instead of every 4 hours , a measure that would help reduce blister packs and therefore waste. He also highlighted the importance of sustainable inhalers.
For this reason, he described the WTO as a “lever” of support to consolidate sustainability principles that permeate society from the medical profession.
Thus, at the end of January 2022, the Medical Alliance once morest Climate Change of the General Council of Official Colleges of Physicians was presented at an event held at the headquarters of the European Commission in Madrid, which included representatives of the European institutions and the Ministries of Health and Ecological Transition.
This action is part of the corporation’s commitment to the One Health approach, which provides a holistic view of the approach to health through the interrelationship between human, animal and environmental health, an approach without which “you cannot collaborate in the fight once morest climate change”.
Canary Islands, a benchmark community
The Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands serves as an example of leadership momentum in this matter. During the meeting, participated Conrado Domínguez, director of the Canarian Health Servicewho highlighted the main lines of action of the ‘Health Zer0 Emissions 2030’ project, presented at the third Greentalks, promoted by Medical Gazette and VERY interesting.
Thus, the person in charge recognized that the lines and principles of sustainability in the United Kingdom “served as a source of inspiration” to consolidate the Canarian project.
Domínguez insisted on the relationship and association of climate change with social inequality, which is why he considers that the measures must be transversal and bet on innovation, employment and sustainability.
“We hope that the momentum of our project will serve as an example for other regions”
Conrad Dominguezdirector of the Canary Islands Health Service
Health professionals, united once morest climate change
Victor Viñuales, Executive Director of Ecodesreinforced this idea by mentioning the action platform of health sector agents committed to climate change: Health #ForTheClimatea way to accelerate action by reducing the carbon footprint in the sector.
“Health and the environment are linked and we have to have the best measures to promote actions”
Victor VinualesCEO of Ecodes
Through this platform, it is intended to create lines of action at different regional levels to address mitigation, adaptation and influence “towards a sustainable change of life”, Viñuales pointed out, “who can best influence are doctors, because they interact with the population in moments of weakness and fragility, moments in which they are more open to listen”.
“There will be no way to achieve sustainability if we do not have the medical profession,” he concluded.
british view
For his part, the National Health Service O NHS (the National Health Service) of the United Kingdom is clear regarding sustainability: it will not have any entity that does not follow its sustainability principles from the year 2027. This has been stated Nick Watts, Director of Sustainability for NHS England and NHS Improvementduring the Conference ‘Spain and the United Kingdom, building Sustainable Health Systems: Adaptation and Decarbonisation’.
The principles of sustainability and action measures in the face of the climate crisis are two elements that Watts “carries as a flag”. The director of sustainability has expressed his desire to seek collaborations with companies, governments and professionals who want to address the climate crisis, considering the risks associated with people’s health.
“We want to do business with companies that uphold these values and want to go in the same direction as us”
Nick WattsDirector of Sustainability for NHS England and NHS Improvement
Improve the well-being of present and future generations
The motto by which the NHS works daily, to improve the well-being of people and future generations – a message that according to Watts can be read on each of the doors of the NHS care centers – cannot be understood without considering the impact of climate change and the role of the health sectorboth as a passive and active agent.
“Statements are fine, but action needs to be taken, so anyone who doesn’t think the same way will not be part of the NHS commitment,” Watts said.
In this line, the person in charge has exemplified a series of action measures, which might be within the reach of other leaders and might serve as inspiration, such as, for example, having a fleet of net emission emergency vehicles, improving fuel consumption infrastructure and bet on new technologies and innovation.
To build a future (and a present) that is capable of adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change, Watts has announced that the NHS will invest 500 million pounds to decarbonise the health sector.
Likewise, the British health service will bet on improving innovative technologies with 24 million pounds.
“We have decided to invest 500 million pounds in decarbonisation because we know that it will pay for itself in three and a half years”
Nick WattsDirector of Sustainability for NHS England and NHS Improvement
In addition, the conference was attended by James Dixon, Deputy Director of Sustainability at Newcastle Hospital, who has opted to inject the necessary aid into the economy to reduce fossil fuels. To do this, he has highlighted the need to invest in each of the decisions made, at different levels of action.
“We can debate what actions to take, but what is really operational is to debate when we take these challenges”
James DixonDeputy Director of Sustainability at Newcastle Hospital
Collaboration networks with Spain
The day was born as a result of the celebration of COP 26, a meeting in which the United Kingdom assumed the presidency. Spain was the country that hosted the COP25, despite sharing responsibilities with the Chilean presidency. However, this breeding ground for political spheres has prompted the collaboration of the NHS with the Spanish Ministry of Health.
After the advances of the COP 26 in Glasgow, one of the areas in which Spain and the United Kingdom have shown leadership is climate change and health.
The UK NHS it was the first public health system in the world to commit to a goal of net zero emissions.
Pilar Aparicio, General Director of Public Health of the Ministry of Healthhas also participated in the conference, in which he has taken the opportunity to explain the carbon footprint of the National Health System and expose the efforts carried out together with the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (Miteco).
“The impact that climate change has on people’s health helps to raise awareness among the population and improve awareness of the planet”
Pilar Apariciogeneral director of Public Health of the Ministry of Health
The head of the ministry has insisted on explaining the presence of extreme weather events in Spain, especially heat waves, which have a high mortality rate. “We need to reduce emissions and be aligned with the Paris Agreement,” she pointed out.
Interesting fact: In the summer of 2020, 1,875 deaths were estimated attributable to excess temperature nationwide, 56 percent in August alone, according to the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII).
Aparicio explained that, from the Ministry, they are joining efforts to reduce emissions and consolidate Public Health policies around the climate crisis. In this context, the Strategic Plan for Health and Environment, prepared together with Miteco, aims to promote environmental environments that improve the health of the population and reduce associated risks, as well as detect the tools necessary to improve the capabilities of the system.
“It is an ambitious plan that meets many identified areas. For us it is essential to know how the contribution to mitigating climate change is reflected, from different points of view, both national and international”
The industry view
Also participating in the meeting Mercedes Fernández de Castro, Director of the GSK Respiratory Business Unitwho highlighted the value of the company following being recognized in 2021 as the first most sustainable pharmaceutical company, according to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI).
“It makes no sense to work to improve people’s lives if we don’t take care of the planet they live on”
Mercedes Fernandez de Castrodirector of the GSK Respiratory Business Unit
Fernández has unfolded GSK’s sustainability measures before the attendees, which in turn aim to “have a positive impact on Nature, while eliminating the negative impact”. For this reason, the company intends to improve the impactnot only in the infrastructure itself, but in the entire value chainwhile promoting sustainable restoration programs, which he has described as “responsible innovation”.
