For anyone living in a regional town, access to healthcare is often more difficult than for those in major cities. Not only is it hard for those outside of cities to access specialty services or surgery, but medical bills are after often higher because of the additional transport costs for medical equipment.
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So, what if there was a way to balance the inequality of healthcare costs while helping create a sustainable future? A whole-hospital approach to reducing waste could be the place to start.
Buried within the tonnes of hospital waste are disposable and unused surgical instruments, medical devices and expensive drugs. In Australia, 50 million plastic intravenous fluid bags and giving sets are sent to landfill every year. Equipment packs for stitching and minor procedures come wrapped in thick plastic with numerous additional components that are never used and often thrown out.
Gowns are disposable, as are drapes and even bed linen. Instead of being sent for sterilising, discarded surgical equipment is either transported long distances to high-heat incinerators or disposed of due to fears it is no longer hygienic. These products all have the ability to be repackaged, sterilised, or stored for future use.
Our hospitals hold the power to minimise waste, cost and environmental impact.
By sending gowns and linen to be washed thoroughly or sterilising medical equipment more often, hospitals can begin to change their waste profile. Not only will this reduce the costs of medical equipment transportation – and therefore reduce the cost of medical bills – it will also help in the fight to tackle climate change.
In a world of throwaways, making a dent in medical waste is achievable, and it could improve access to healthcare for everyone.