Mediclinic on global climate A-list

Posted on 10 January 2017

It’s Mediclinic’s business culture to take responsibility for health – both inside and outside their hospitals. That’s why the hospital group takes its policies to reduce its impact on the environment so seriously.

‘We believe we have a responsibility to ensure that people live healthy lives in a healthy environment,’ says Liezl Myburgh, Safety Health Environment & Quality officer for Mediclinic Southern Africa. And that commitment shows in the company’s appearance on a global index of companies that are working on combating climate change. The list, compiled by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an international not-for-profit organisation running the world’s leading carbon disclosure system, includes 183 businesses worldwide, of which Mediclinic International plc is the only hospital group.

Mediclinic measures, assesses and verifies its carbon footprint and publicly discloses its practices and performance through the CDP. ‘Mediclinic has set a target to reduce energy consumption on bed days sold by 3.09% per year to meet the government’s target of reducing carbon emissions by 34% by 2020,’ Liezl says.

How is Mediclinic making positive changes?

‘The ISO 14001 environmental management system, which aims to conserve resources, use them effectively and minimise wastage, is implemented in Mediclinic Southern Africa, and 41 of the group’s 52 hospitals are ISO 14001 certified,’ Liezl explains. All the group’s hospitals are ISO 14001 trained.

Water
Among the green initiatives in local Mediclinic hospitals is a sustainable water-management strategy that includes the implementation of detailed water contingency plans and a programme for sinking boreholes at strategic hospitals and using grey- and black-water systems. ‘Without a continuous water supply, a hospital can’t control its infection rate or continue daily operations,’ Liezl points out. Mediclinic participates in the Water Disclosure Project and has set a water target for its hospitals of 10% reduction in litres of water used per bed day sold by 2020. ‘During 2016, 690 litres per bed day sold were consumed – a 2.95% reduction on a baseline of 711 litres per bed day sold in 2011,’ says Liezl.

Energy
Various energy-conservation and cost-efficiency initiatives have also been implemented, and Mediclinic is in the process of upgrading inefficient airconditioning plants at its largest electricity-consuming facilities. Solar photovoltaic systems aimed at reducing energy costs and carbon emissions have been installed in some hospitals, with plans to instal more in future.

Waste
When it comes to waste management, waste sent to landfills and recycled is quantified in the carbon-footprint report and is monitored and managed on a continuous basis. ‘General waste is recycled, as far as reasonably practical. We recycle our empty glass vials where the facility is available, and we’re currently investigating and running a trial on the recycling of medical polyvinyl chloride (PVC) such as drip bags,’ says Liezl. The total waste recycled for 2016 was 1 421 tonnes, an increase of 596 tonnes (44%) on 2015’s 825 tonnes.

Mediclinic is also investigating the possibility of sending food waste to a new industry called nutrient recycling. ‘Fly larvae are a sustainable source of natural protein and are used in the animal-feed industry. The larvae feed on organic waste, using the waste food as raw material to generate valuable feed components,’ Liezl explains.

‘Our patients are always our first priority, but without natural resources, especially water, we wouldn’t be able to provide a service to our patients,’ says Liezl. ‘Our Natural Resources Initiatives Committee constantly investigates new opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment. At the end of the day it comes down to leadership, teamwork, behaviour change and commitment.’