September, 2024 – ‘Huiskamergesprekken over Toekomst van zorg’ published by De juiste zorg op de juiste plek.

An interview with Ellen Bakker (WP6 leader) is published in ‘Huiskamergesprekken over Toekomst van zorg’. This publication was created by Bureau &MAES on behalf of Jan Kremer, Special Envoy on ‘Passende Zorg’ of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport from the Netherlands.

‘New generation demands sustainable healthcare sector’

Over 7 percent of the national CO2 emissions, 4 percent of all waste, and 13 percent of resource consumption in the Netherlands come from the healthcare sector. When Associate Professor Ellen Bakker first learned these figures a few years ago, her initial thought was, “I should quit; I don’t want to be part of such a polluting sector.” However, she quickly realized that leaving healthcare education would have no impact. Instead, she decided to dedicate herself to creating a more sustainable healthcare sector.

“These numbers speak for themselves, but it seems that the awareness of the need for sustainability hasn’t fully sunk in among healthcare professionals. That’s why I’ve been working hard to put sustainability high on the agenda—not just in educational programs, but also in hospitals, care institutions, and businesses. Currently, I’m contributing as a work package leader for the ESCH-R project, where Dutch universities, colleges, two academic hospitals, and the private sector are joining forces to make the entire healthcare chain—from procurement to (re)use—circular.”

Read the full interview with Ellen Bakker (WP6 leader) here (page 15, in Dutch).