From left: Dr Philip Crowley, HSE; Dr Andrèe Rochfort, Irish College of GPs; Roisin Breen, HSE; and Eimear Galvin, HIHI. Image: Sasko Lazarov, Photocall Ireland
The application deadline for the ‘Green-tech in healthcare’ call is 17 November and winners will be announced next February.
Leading Irish healthcare regulatory and research bodies have today (7 October) opened a call for new and innovative products that improve sustainability in the country’s healthcare system.
The ‘Green-tech in healthcare’ call by the Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) together with the HSE and the Irish College of General Practitioners, is open to companies, organisations and research institutions of all sizes, inviting applicants whose products can disrupt the stream of waste produced in this sector.
The call is focused on three key areas – production, disposal and decontamination. Eligible applications will need to have medical products that are in use and market ready or are in development and have a working prototype.
Eligible products will be evaluated by the HIHI either for further development or will be deployed in an HIHI pilot project if market ready.
The global healthcare sector is a major economic player, representing 10pc of the global economy and contributing 4.4pc of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In Ireland, the healthcare sector accounts for around 5pc of the country’s GHG emissions.
“We recognise we have a significant role to play in tackling the climate crisis,” said Dr Philip Crowley, the national director of HSE climate and global health.
“The healthcare sector is a notable contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
Much of the emissions, arising from the production of medical-grade products, transportation and disposal of healthcare goods is unavoidable.
The sector often employs single-use medical products that are resource intensive to produce, and use plastics and other materials requiring significant energy leading to substantial GHG emissions. These products are then disposed of either in an incinerator, leading to toxic gases, or in landfills, causing soil contamination and other emissions.
The HIHI clinical sustainability advisors are frontline medical workers who are focused on sustainability, have highlighted the need for sustainable alternatives for syringes, bottles, packaging, sanitary products and diapers, medical textiles like surgical gowns, theatre drapes and masks, and cutlery and crockery.
The call closes on 17 November and applications will be reviewed in two stages with the winners being announced next February.
“Green-tech in healthcare represents a growing movement within the global health industry to adopt technologies and practices that are environmentally sustainable, aiming to improve health outcomes while minimising ecological footprints,” said HIHI national director Dr Tanya Mulcahy.
“HIHI is committed to the development of innovative sustainable products and services for Irish healthcare.”
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