Session 10

Towards net-zero healthcare systems

Building more resilient, sustainable, and efficient healthcare systems

Organised by Philips and the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience

In the next few decades, the healthcare sector is predicted to both expand and evolve, driven by demographic changes in developing markets, technological advances, and improved understanding of the causes of positive health outcomes. However, climate change poses a clear threat to population health and healthcare delivery.

The session will highlight how crucial it is for European healthcare systems to take responsibility for their impact on the climate crisis, tackling healthcare’s waste problem and its carbon footprint. The focus will be on making hospitals more sustainable by addressing the myriad of challenges they are facing, informed by the research conducted in different European countries as part of the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR). The research shows how crucial it is to raise workforce awareness of environmental risk factors, by supporting efforts to build knowledge through innovative medical education. The PHSSR research findings will help inform policy options to prioritize solutions to decarbonize healthcare systems, highlighting the importance of innovative partnerships for health system resilience and sustainability.