Last week, Nicole Hunfeld (ESCH-R PI) was proud to join a Dutch delegation in Beijing, where the working groups of the Sino-Dutch Green Hospitals Project met to celebrate the progress achieved and to launch the next phase of cooperation, focused on accelerating and scaling up the implementation of successful pilot projects.

The project has brought together health professionals, academics, medical product suppliers and government representatives to work on 4 priorities:

• reducing the negative impact of Intensive Care Units (hotspots for emissions and medical waste, led by Nicole Hunfeld);
• replacing highly polluting anesthesia gases with greener alternatives;
• scaling up green and circular procurement;
• incorporating sustainability awareness and best practices into the curricula of medical professionals.

It was inspiring to see how much progress has been made in just 1,5 years, thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of the professionals involved. Also to observe the clear mutual benefit of this exchange of expertise and experience. Word is spreading on the grapevine. Chinese professional medical associations and top-level hospitals outside Bejing, such as those in Zhe Jiang province, are keen to join the project and contribute to the next phase. The momentum is building and the group aims to share these best practices with the global health community to optimize the multiplier effect. 

This project is funded by the Global Health Partnerships Programme of the Government of the Netherlands and falls under the MoU between the Chinese National Health Commission and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands.