2023-07-09 14:22:39
PRAEVENIRE Talk on security of supply in the healthcare sector: Experts discuss sustainable energy concepts
Alpbach (OTS) – As part of the 10th PRAEVENIRE health talks in Alpbach 2023, a top-class talk on the subject of “supply security – energy in the health sector” took place on July 9th. Under the moderation of Dr. Franz Leisch, former ELGA boss and PRAEVENIRE Chief Digital Officer, brought Ing. Paul Rübig, member of the European Economic and Social Committee and author, as well as Mag. Karl Lehner, MBA, Managing Director of the OÖG (Upper Austrian Health Holding), contributed their expertise from a macroeconomic point of view and the practical perspective of the hospital operator and provided valuable insights.
decisions for the future
Paul Rübig emphasized the importance of long-term planning at European level: “Many decisions will be made in the next two years that will be decisive for our future.” He underlined the need to say goodbye to ideologies and take concrete measures to make the world sustainable : “We have to move away from ideology and towards action.” He emphasized education and practical skills as basic requirements and warned once morest exceeding the goals in certain areas in order not to jeopardize credibility with the population.
Rübig emphasized the importance of water and renewable energy for human survival. The subject of water is still “underexposed” at the European level. The European Commission has agreed on “Five Missions” – resilient cities, regions, fighting cancer, sustainable protection and use of (arable) soil and water. The cascading use of water is a silver bullet to ensure the best possible drinking water quality through to the waste water. The global collection of data on water resources is also an important topic.
Sustainability costs, but there is no alternative
Karl Lehner presented the new group strategy of the OÖG. The OÖG has been around for 20 years, and the group has grown significantly in recent years. Five strategic focal points were defined, and a sixth one was implemented – sustainability as an overarching strategy. He emphasized the role model function of the company and the increasing relevance of topics such as sustainability, gender equality and climate protection, especially for the younger generation. Lehner explained the measures that the OÖG has taken to become more sustainable, including the installation of PV systems with very large capacities and ensuring the energy protection of operating theaters and intensive care units.
In the last two years, an energy check was carried out across all locations in order to develop measures towards a climate-friendly hospital: “We are getting out of the fossils”. An exact action plan including costs and timeline was drawn up for each clinic. “Sustainability costs, but doing nothing costs considerably more in the long term.” EU funding and financing instruments should be used more intensively. Sustainable construction is also an important topic: “What we are building today, we have for forty years – so we have to think carefully regarding what and how we build.”
Furthermore, the panel of experts discussed the importance of water management in the health sector. Rübig emphasized that water is increasingly becoming a cost factor and people need access to affordable water. He underlined the importance of storing water in the soil and promoting it through appropriate planting and soil quality. According to Lehner, this is increasingly being taken into account when planning green spaces around healthcare facilities.
Wastewater as an early warning system
A central topic of the talk was the role of wastewater as an early warning system for diseases and the analysis of drug effects. The analysis of wastewater samples provides important insights into the occurrence and spread of diseases. In addition, machine learning can be used to analyze the effects and side effects of drugs or vaccines. Wastewater monitoring was established during the pandemic, this is a significant learning effect from the pandemic, explained Karl Lehner.
For example, Covid can be detected in wastewater a few days before it develops symptoms in the human body. In the sewage from hospitals it can therefore be determined how many Covid patients will be acute in a few days and this allows for better preparation and planning of the situation. “This early warning system from the wastewater is something that we need to establish further. There may be other and more severe pandemics, so we have to learn from them,” said Rübig.
Concrete demands
The discussion ended with concrete demands on Austrian health policy, including the strengthening of diagnostic and analysis tools, improved water management and thinking ahead towards communication resilience in crisis situations: clear communication strategies are crucial in the event of blackouts or disasters. Rübig emphasized the importance of instruments such as options assessment, impact assessment, risk assessment and lifetime analytics. Lifetime Cycle Cost and Value Chain analyzes are very clumsy in the EU Commission. It would be an important task to develop and implement concepts here
The 10th PRAEVENIRE health talks in Alpbach in 2023 showed that security of supply in the energy sector is also a key challenge for the health sector. The discussions and findings of the top-class panel of experts offer valuable impulses for sustainable and future-oriented solutions.
Paul Rübig is making his new book “Emergency Preparedness – Sustainable #Food #WATER #Energy Future” available to PRAEVENIRE to support the Association for the promotion of child and youth rehabilitation for sale.
We will keep you up to date on the talks and discussions in Alpbach. Pictures and video recordings can be found here and are constantly being added to:
PREVENT ÜBER
The non-profit association PRAEVENIRE – Society for the Optimization of solidary health care offers with numerous events, such as the health days in the Seitenstetten monastery, the health talks in Alpbach or summit talks in Vienna and other places in Austria, an independent platform to important health policy topics and questions regarding care discuss and work out proposed solutions and recommendations for action in the form of a yearbook for politicians and decision-makers in the healthcare sector. In all considerations, the focus is always on the patient.
Questions & contact:
PRAEVENIRE – Society for the Optimization of Solidarity Health Care
Mag. Dora Skamperls
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+43/664 3540437
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