EVALUATION OF GREEN INITIATIVES IN A HEALTH CARE FACILITY IN INDIA

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EVALUATIONOFGREENINITIATIVESINAHEALTHCARE FACILITYININDIA

1Postgraduate, Department of HospitalAdministration, Father Muller College ofAllied Health Sciences, Kankanady, Mangalore, India.

2Associate Professor, Department of Hospital Administration, Father Muller College of Allied Health Sciences, Kankanady, Mangalore,India.

ABSTRACT

Background: A green and healthy hospital recognizes the connection between human health and the environment and demonstrates understanding through its governance,strategyandoperations.Whenconsideringa'GreenHospital'theissueswhichshouldbeaddressedinclude,energyandwaterefficiency,useofrenewable energyandenvironmentalimpactofwastedisposal.Greenhospitalsthereforepromotegreenhealthcarebyimprovingthehealthofpatients,medicalstaffandthe environment.Objectives:Toassessthegreeninitiativesintheareasofwatermanagementandwastemanagementinahealthcarefacility ResearchMethodology: Datacollectionwasdonethroughanobservationchecklisttoassessthegreeninitiativesinareasofwatermanagementandwastemanagement.Theobservationwas madeintheareaswheresuchequipment'sandfacilitieswerelocated.InformalinterviewwiththeIn-chargesofvariousdepartmentssuchasmaintenance,biomedical, housekeepingandrelateddepartmentswasconductedtoassessthegreeninitiativesintheselectedhospital.Results:Thestudyshowedthatmostofthegreeninitiative aspectsweretakenupbytheexistinghealthcarefacility Buttherearefewareaswhichneedtobefocussedsuchasthecaptureofrainwatersystem,compostingof wasteandorganizingeducationalprogramforemployees,thathighlightstheneedtoconserveandusescarceresourcesefficiently

KEYWORDS:GreenHospital,GreenInitiatives,WaterManagement,WasteManagement.

INTRODUCTION

Greenhospitalsenhancepatientwellbeing,aidsincurativeprocesswhileutilizingnaturalresourcesinanefficientenvironmentfriendlymanner Ahospitalthat hastakentheinitiativewillchooseanenvironmentallyfriendlysite,utilizesustainable and efficient designs, use green building materials and products, eenergyandwaterconservationandthinksgreenduringconstruction,keepsthe greening process going.AGreen Hospital is constructed around a facility that recycles,reusesmaterials,reduceswasteandproducescleanerair Intheoperationalstagethehospitalsneedtoconsiderenvironmentalaspectsofwastemanagementtopromotethegreenconcepts.

Agreenandhealthyhospitalistheonethatpromotespublichealthbycontinuouslyreducingitsenvironmentalimpactandultimatelyeliminatingitscontributiontotheburdenofdisease.Agreenandhealthyhospitalrecognizestheconnectionbetweenhumanhealthandtheenvironmentanddemonstratesunderstandingthroughitsgovernance,strategyandoperations.Itconnectslocalneedswith environmentalactionandpracticesprimarypreventionbyactivelyengagingin effortstofostercommunityenvironmentalhealth,healthequityandagreeneconomy”(KarlinerandGuenther,2011).Greenorsustainablebuildinginvolvesthe practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy,water,materialsandreducingbuildingimpactsonhumanhealthandthe environment,throughbettersiteselection,design,construction,operation,maintenance,andremoval,throughthecompletebuildinglifecycle”(Howard,2003).

Greenbuildingis“thepracticeofcreatingstructuresandusingprocessesthatare environmentallyresponsibleandresource-efficientthroughoutabuilding'slifecycle.Thispracticeexpandsandcomplementstheclassicalbuildingdesignconcernsofeconomy,utility,durability,andcomfort.Greenbuildingisalsoknown asasustainableorhigh-performancebuilding”(Bandhaueretal.,2013).Sustainable,green,andhigh-performanceinvolveanintegratedapproachtoenergyconservationandefficiency;indoorenvironmentalandairquality;andtheefficient, effectiveuseofsite,water,andmaterialresources.Genuinelong-termenvironmentalsustainabilitymeansmorethanthemainstreamconstructionofbuildings. It entails designing and constructing deep green “restorative” buildings, those thatenhancetheenvironmentbyproducingmoreenergythantheyconsume,and those that provide comfortable indoor environments with healthy Indoor Air Quality(IAQ)(McLennan,2004).

Researchers studied the different possibilities for providing heating, air conditioning and hot tap water to a Spanish hospital. They considered several cogenerationsystems with diesel engines and gas turbines.They observed that themostimportantparameteristheelectricityproducedandconcludedthatthe controlstrategyandthesizeofthefacilityhaveastronginfluenceontheenergy system (Renedo, 2006). The most affordable renewable solutions were biogas energy, wood chip heating, and ground source heating. Biogas energy was the mostaffordablesolutionalthoughitisonlysuitableforlarge-scaleprojectssince thesystemisnotyetcommonlyusedandsomeriskofuncertaintymustbeadded

(Kantola,2013).ResearchersdemonstratedinahospitalinBelgiumthatitispossibletosaveupto71%oftheprimaryenergybyusingstoredthermalenergyin combination with a heat pump, instead of conventional gas-based boilers and waterchillers(Vanhoudtetal,2011).

Cleaning to protect health without harming the environment is delineated as GreenCleaning.Itisachievedbyusingprocessesandmaterialsbyensuringthat the cleaning is performed with the interest of all the building residences' wellbeingandtheenvironmentalhealth.DespitetheestablishmentofGreenHospital insomecountriesofworld,globaleffortsjustaddresstheclimatechangeandprotect the environment and the literature has been less paid to the green hospital. Althoughalotofresearchershavebeenseparatelyworkedoneachofthegreen hospital dimensions including green building; unfortunately, the little research hasbeenconductedaboutgreenhospitaldimensionscomprehensively(Azmal, etal.,2014).HealthCareOrganizationsmustimplementgreeninitiativestoproducehealthierenvironmentsforpatients,visitorsandstaff.Inaddition,thegreen initiatives will direct the hospital in taking a number of initiatives designed to reusematerialsandreducematerialwaste.Greenhospitalspromotesustainable building materials, energy and water conservation, waste reduction and recycling,andalsoenvironmentallypreferablemedicalwastetreatmentanddisposal.

RESULTS

Thedataongreeninitiativeswithregardtowaterandwastemanagementinthe selectedhealthcarefacilityisgivenintables:

1 Thereisasysteminplacetomonitorwater usagethroughoutthefacility

2 Thereisarainwatercapturesystem

3 Thereareefficientfaucetsinthewater distributionsystem

4 Thefacilityhasaneducationalprogramthat highlightstheneedtoconserveanduse waterefficiently

5 Systemofwaterpipesanddrainsare regularlycheckedforleaks

6. Pipesanddrainsincorporateshut-offsystem

Copyright©2023,IERJ.Thisopen-accessarticleispublishedunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial4.0InternationalLicensewhichpermitsShare(copyandredistributethematerialinany mediumorformat)andAdapt(remix,transform,andbuilduponthematerial)undertheAttribution-NonCommercialterms.

Research Paper Education E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 9 | Issue : 4 | April 2023
1 2MidhunV,*RudolphRaviD'Sa
01 InternationalEducation&ResearchJournal[IERJ]
Sl. No CATEGORY ACHIEVABILITY Yes No WATERMANAGEMENTINITIATIVES
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y

7 Therearesafestrategiestorecyclewastewater forotherpurposeofthehospital

8 Collectionofstormwaterrun-off

Table1illustratesthegreeninitiativeswithreferencetowatermanagementinthe existingfacility Thewaterconsumptionismonitoredandthereareadequatemeasuresforrecyclingthewastewater.Buttheexistingfacilityalsohasfewdrawbackssuchasunavailabilityofrainwaterharvestingsystem,collectionofstorm waterrun-offandeducationalprogramthathighlightstheneedtoconserveand usewaterefficiently

loadingwasteinlandfills.Theprocessgeneratesanorganiccompostthatcanbe usedtofertilizethesoilingardensandvegetablegardens.Compostingisaviable andsafeproceduretouseinhospitals(Santos&Filho,2021). Thecomposting processhelpstoprotectundergroundwaterfrombecomingpollutedcomparedto thelandfillingmethodofwastedisposal,whichcouldposeapollutionthreatto undergroundwater Thisisbecausethereisareductionofthemicrobesandchemical pollutants during composting (Ayilara et al., 2020).Thus, green initiatives withregardtowaterandwastemanagementhavebetterprospectsinprotecting thepeopleandenvironment.Futureresearchersrequiretoexplorenewergreen initiativestosuggestbetterenvironmentalsafetytothepersonnelandpatients.

CONCLUSION

Green Initiatives in Healthcare Organizations is a newer concept aiming at the preservationofenvironmentandfocusingongreenstrategiestoenhancethepositiveimpactsonpatientsandstaffinthehospitals.Anassessmentregardinggreen initiatives was made in the areas of water and waste management. The study showedthatmostofthegreeninitiativeaspectsweretakenupbytheHealthcare Organization. Implementation of the green initiatives by Healthcare Organizations produces healthier environments for patients and staff, not only saves energy, but also money Green hospital design fosters better patient outcomes and staff retention. Periodic assessment of green initiatives will provide the HealthcareManagersaninsightofthenewinitiativesformakingthehospital's environmentsafeforthepatients,staffandvisitors.

REFERENCES

1. Karliner,J.,&Guenther,R.(2011).Globalgreenandhealthyhospitalsagenda.Health CarewithoutHarm,2011October,41.

2. Howard, J. L. (2003). The federal commitment to green building: experiences and expectations. Federal Executive, Office of The Federal Environmental Executive, Washington.

3. Bandhauer,K.,Gerber,M.A.,Simon,S.,Smith,S.,Buffo,C.,&Gitlin,S.(2013).Sustainabledesignandgreenbuildingtoolkitforlocalgovernments.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(US).

4. McLennanJF (2004).Thephilosophyofsustainabledesign.BainbridgeIsland,WA: E c o t o n e P u b l i s h i n g C o ; R e t r i e v e d f r o m : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54155/(accessedon16.03.18).

5. Renedo,C.J.,Ortiz,A.,Manana,M.,Silio,D.,&Perez,S.(2006).Studyofdifferent cogeneration alternatives for a Spanish hospital center Energy and Buildings, 38(5), 484-490.

6. Kantola,M.,&Saari,A.(2013).Renewablevs.traditionalenergymanagementsolutions–AFinnishhospitalfacilitycase.Renewableenergy,57,539-545.

7. Vanhoudt, D., Desmedt, J.,Van Bael, J., Robeyn, N., & Hoes, H. (2011).An aquifer thermal storage system in a Belgian hospital: Long-term experimental evaluation of energyandcostsavings.EnergyandBuildings,43(12),3657-3665.

TABLE 1:GREENINITIATIVESINTHEAREAOFWATERMANAGEMENT

8. Azmal, M., Kalhor, R., Dehcheshmeh, N.F., Goharinezhad, S., Heidari, Z.A. and Farzianpour,F (2014)GoingtowardGreenHospitalbySustainableHealthcareWaste Management:Segregation,TreatmentandSafeDisposal.Health,6,2632-2640.

9. Prabhakar,M.M.,AshokA,KamalR.(2021).AStudyofIndustrialGreenInitiatives Management.InternationalJournalofResearchPublicationandReviews.2(7).190710.

10. Santos,G.D.,&BarbosaFilho,W G.(2021).Compostingasanalternativetoreduce commonwastevolumeinhospitals.EnvironmentalSmoke,4(2),54-55.

11. Ayilara,M.S.,Olanrewaju,O.S.,Babalola,O.O.,&Odeyemi,O.(2020).Wastemanagementthroughcomposting:Challengesandpotentials.Sustainability,12(11),4456.

Table2illustratesthegreeninitiativeswithreferencetowastemanagementinthe existingfacility.Mostaspectsofthegreeninitiativesinthewastemanagement arepracticedinthehospital.Importancehastobegiventoreductionofwasteand emissionsthroughcomposting.

DISCUSSION

Watermanagementiscrucialinhealthcareorganizations,efficientmanagement of such scare resource contributes to efficiency in service delivery to patients withinthehospitalsetup.Theresearchongreeninitiativesintheselectedfacility revealedthatthewaterconsumptionismonitoredandtherearemeasuresforrecycling. Educational program that highlights the need to conserve and use water efficientlyneedtobeplanned.Thesignificanceofpreservingnaturalresources, such as water must be taught to users in all kinds of industry (Prabhakar et al., 2021).

Reductionandproperhandlingofwasteisrequiredtosafeguardthehospitalstaff and patients against any infection or hazard. The facility under research was foundtopracticemostofthegreeninitiativeswithregardtowastemanagement. Compostingcouldbeaneffectivemethodtoreducewasteanditsemission.Composting is an alternative that has been used on a large scale as a tool for sustainabilitypractices,beingaformofrecyclingorganicwastethatavoidsover-

Research Paper E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 9 | Issue : 4 | April 2023
TABLE1:GreenInitiativesintheAreaofWaterManagement TABLE2:GreenInitiativesintheAreaofWasteManagement
02 InternationalEducation&ResearchJournal[IERJ]
Y
N
Waterleaksare
ofwater N 12 Thereisanautoshut-offsystemfor
watertankwhenthetankisfull Y
Sl. No CATEGORY ACHIEVABILITY Yes No WATERMANAGEMENTINITIATIVES 1 Healthfacilityreduceswasteandemissions throughcomposting N 2 Healthfacilitycutswastethroughrecycling ofproducts Y 3 Wasteissegregatedincolorcoded containers Y 4 Differenttypesofwastearedisposedin accordancetotheWasteManagementRules Y 5 Thereisacentrallocationwherewasteis collected,transported,labelledandstored Y 6 WastehandlingpersonnelwearPersonal ProtectiveEquipment(PPE)whilehandling waste Y 7 Monthlyandannualstatisticsiskeptforall wastegenerated Y 8 Wastemanagementofficerisappointedto overseethewastehandlinganddisposal process Y 9 Thereisaproperbudgetallocatedforwaste managementanddisposal Y 11 Coveredvehiclesareusedfortransportation ofbiomedicalwaste Y
9
inspectedthroughwateraudits toachieveoptimalutilization
main

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