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IAPB Webinars: Sustain the Environment and Save Costs

Published: 02.05.2019

IAPB Webinars: Sustain the Environment and Save Costs; A volunteer watches and learns cataract surgery - Ghana

Tackling climate change is a key agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals. Providing Healthcare has a significant impact on climate change on account of high energy use, procurement of goods and services, transport of staff and patients and generation of complex waste.

Ophthalmology is one of the high volume outpatient specialties, wherein patients end up making multiple visits even for simple conditions like cataract and refractive errors, and of course for complex and chronic conditions. It also has a high surgical throughput, with cataract surgeries accounting for a significant volume of the total. Large amounts of disposable instruments and materials are used in ophthalmology, increasing the carbon footprint.

In reality many of the approaches towards environmental sustainability can be “cost saving” and not “cost adding” in nature. Over the years at Aravind Eye Hospital, many such initiatives have developed, some consciously and many unconsciously. These initiatives have the potential to not only reduce the carbon foot print significantly, but also drive down our costs of providing quality care. In this webinar Aravind will share a range of very practical initiatives taken towards promoting environmental sustainability that also provide better patient experience and financial benefits to the organisation. Although Aravind is a large hospital and organisation, the webinar will provide practical information for eye health workers in all contexts, be it low, middle or high-income settings, and with high or low patient throughput. Furthermore, the webinar will provide information on IAPB’s Environmental Sustainability ‘community of practice’, so you can stay in touch with developments, and also share your own experiences and resources.

Please register for IAPB Environmental Sustainability Work Group Webinar on May 28, 2019 11:00 AM BST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8337249626286499339

Photo credit: A volunteer watches and learns cataract surgery – Ghana. Photo by Robin