The healthcare sector faces a double challenge: providing high-quality care and reducing its ecological footprint.
Accounting for no less than 5% of total CO₂ emissions in Belgium, healthcare (including hospitals, residential care centres, preventive medicine and outpatient care) is undeniably a polluting sector (Source: gezondheidbelgie.be). At the same time, there is a growing awareness that sustainability is not only necessary for the environment, but also essential for the future viability of healthcare itself.
Sustainable healthcare means more than just solar panels on the roof or waste separation. It is about an integrated approach that protects the health of people and the planet.
Both in Belgium and the Netherlands, sustainability in the healthcare sector is being tackled through national Green Deals.
In Flanders, the Green Deal Sustainable Healthcare was launched in 2023 and focuses on four themes:
In the Netherlands, the Green Deal Sustainable Care 3.0 applies, with the following objectives:
These ambitions require structural changes in vision, organisation, processes and behaviour.
It is not only policymakers and healthcare organisations that recognise the importance of sustainability. International standards and accreditation frameworks such as JCI (Joint Commission International) and ISO standards for the healthcare sector are also increasingly including sustainability explicitly in their criteria. Sustainable policy and environmentally conscious behaviour are thus becoming an integral part of quality management and external assessment. Organisations that proactively work on sustainability not only improve their impact on people and the environment, but also strengthen their compliance and quality position.
Although many healthcare organisations have incorporated sustainability into their strategic plans, implementation is often delayed due to a lack of structure, knowledge, support or resources. That is why targeted support is crucial.
Hict and Kerteza, both part of Vixor.health, offer concrete support in implementing sustainability with their integrated approach. This service consists of four phases:
1. Vision development and research
2. Analysis and advice
3. Implementation and guarantee sustainability
4. Evaluatie en doorontwikkeling
Examples of successful sustainable applications include:
These applications not only have ecological benefits, but also save costs and improve the quality of care.
The approach is based on the Hict SDG framework and the Kerteza 4-Phase Model®, with a focus on structure, culture, leadership and processes. By linking the Quintuple Aim to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), five central focus areas emerge within the Healthcare-SDG Framework:
Sustainable care requires both a clear vision and decisive action. With the right guidance, healthcare organisations can develop a future-proof system that contributes to the well-being of people, society and the environment. Hict and Kerteza support you as knowledge partners throughout the entire process: from the initial exploration to sustainable implementation.
Feel free to contact us or schedule a sustainability scan.
Christophe Allaert is a technical consultant at Hict with extensive experience in making healthcare institutions more sustainable.
He has assisted various hospitals in developing and implementing sustainability strategies, including energy-efficient investments, waste management and process optimisation.
His expertise in hospital logistics, technical services and lean management contributes to ecological impact, employee well-being and efficient care processes within healthcare institutions.
Elien Martens is a data science consultant at Hict, with a strong focus on data analysis and strategic projects in the healthcare sector.
She has worked on capacity and staffing predictions, process optimisation in operating theatres and regional healthcare planning.
Her experience in analysing sustainability within hospitals is closely aligned with the Hict SDG framework, where she uses data to make healthcare processes more efficient and sustainable.
Yasmine Syed is a strategy and organisation consultant in the healthcare sector at Hict. She has extensive experience in optimising care pathways, organisational transformation and developing innovative and sustainable projects.
She has supported numerous hospitals and healthcare institutions in the development and implementation of medical and organisational strategies, integrating patient-centred approaches, operational performance and sustainability.
Her expertise also covers change management, complex project management and innovation in healthcare, with an impact on the quality of care, process efficiency and team engagement.
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