National University Hospital's Green Day - Ms Grace Fu

Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you at NUH Green Day.

2. The NUH Green Day celebrates the World Environment Day, and is taking place during the third edition of MSE’ Go Green SG national movement for sustainability. Recycling, to conserve resources and to reduce waste disposal, is a big part of going green. I am glad that NUH is not only focusing on recycling but also to “Recycle Better”. Singapore is not only resource scarce, but also highly protective of its natural environment. And reducing waste, its impact on biodiversity, and reducing our footprint on the planet are part of our sustainability development roadmap.

3. Since this is SG 60, I thought it is useful for us to recap our journey as an independent country. We are all familiar with the story about how Singapore was the miracle country that was not meant to survive, but we did. In this 60-year journey, I think most Singaporeans would be aware and familiar with our water story – how water was of strategic importance to us; that we were dependent on Malaysia for our water supply; and how we have a water agreement attached to our Separation Agreement. Knowing that water is such a scarce resource for us and of strategic importance to us, we set out from the start, about conserving water, about finding new source of water and reduce wastage. That was a water story that all of us are familiar with. Many decades later, we found solutions. We are one of the lowest in terms of water usage in cities amongst all the major cities, and we have recycled our water. Recycling rate of water is extremely high in Singapore. And now, we have a lot more strategic options when it comes to water.

4. Why is this important for today's discussion? Very often, we think of going green being environmentally friendly as something that is fashionable to do. But it is really not. If you think about it, in a place like Singapore where water is of strategic, survival importance, and because of that, we knew that there could be a one day where we didn't have enough water, we didn't have water to grow. Now, if you remember, water agreement stipulated a certain amount of water is supplied from Malaysia. But what if we grew? We wanted to grow. We want to grow our population, our economy. Our factories, our semiconductor, our hospitals need water. But if the supply of water has been cut, we didn't have the option to grow. So it is of that importance to us.

5. If you think about other resources besides water - human resources, land and increasingly, we have all learned through COVID, other resources, like masks, gloves - what if they are also finite? What if they are also subjected to supply disruptions? Now, if you knew that that one day could happen - not that it will happen, but it could happen - what would you have done today? It's just like starting off 60 years ago and saying that, if water is a real strategic issue for us, what would we do at the start of nation building? It is the same concept, that the world actually has finite resources. The world is also impacted by our impact, our footprint. The way that we consume electricity, water, treat waste, it has global warming effect. If the world has those finite constraints, what do we do, as Prof Aymeric Lim has said, as stewards of this planet, differently today from yesterday?

6. This is why sustainability is such an important topic for us. Sustainable development is not just about climate change. It is actually more than that. It is about how we treat biodiversity. How do we treat our land scarcity? How do we deal with limited human resource, limited resource in supplies of medication, supply of your medical supplies?

Healthcare’s Environmental Footprint

7. The healthcare sector has a significant environmental and climate impact. Globally, the healthcare industry generates about 4 percent of total greenhouse gas emission. It consumes significant amounts of energy, and water and generates significant waste. The waste require treatment. In some cases, with hazardous waste, we have no other treatment but to put it in the landfill. This takes up precious land in a place like Singapore. In fact, in many places, not Singapore, inappropriate treatment of waste resulted in contamination. Contamination of land and waterways will ultimately pollute rivers and oceans. This comes back to the food chain, into the food that we are eating. Healthcare and pharmaceutical upstream and downstream waste has a significant impact and footprint on the planet.

8. There are few ways that I think that we can hold healthcare facilities accountable for its impact on the planet.

   • First, healthcare facilities such as hospitals and research laboratories have high energy demands due to the need for 24/7 operations, controlled humidity and public health considerations, specialised equipment, and stringent environmental controls. In addition, these facilities are typically large and complex structures with specialised infrastructure that increase energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

   • Second, healthcare facilities consume substantial amounts of water for various purposes, including for patient care, sanitation and facility management. Water-intensive procedures such as sterilisation, surgical operations, and medical research also contribute to high water usage in our healthcare settings. These can further increase energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

   • Third, healthcare facilities generate significant amounts of waste, including hazardous medical waste, pharmaceutical waste, and general waste. The collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of these waste streams require significant energy if treated properly, and if not, could contaminate the physical environment such as the water systems.

Taking Decisive Climate Action

9. It is therefore crucial that the healthcare sector participate fully in climate action and environment protection. The people, whose lives you are saving, whose health you are taking care of, whom you are keeping in good health, are adversely affected by climate change and environmental degradation. In fact, you can be a key contributor towards achieving our 2050 net zero ambition. You can take the lead in driving sustainability and circularity through innovative and practical solutions.

   • Here in NUH, is the pioneering of the Sort-at-Source initiative, where medical recyclables are collected directly from the nurses’ trolley, instead of being sent out of the wards for sorting. This improves the efficiency of the recycling process in the wards.

   • Another initiative is the redesign of recycling bin covers across the NUH campus to make it more intuitive for staff and the public to recycle right. By having cut-outs of the recyclables to make clearer what can be recycled, it encourages users to put the right items into the recycling bins and reduce contamination of recyclables. This has resulted in a dramatic rise in recycling rate from 58 percent to 95 percent over a period of two weeks!

   • I am pleased that the redesign project has been supported from my Ministry’s SG Eco Fund, catalysing the change in recycling habit in the hospital community. I encourage other hospitals to tap this source of funding to pilot new ideas, big and small. This funding is available to individuals, groups, hospitals, all types of organisations, so please tap into the SG Eco Fund.

10. These initiates have helped NUH more than double its recycling rate from 4 percent to 9.6 percent last year, allowing the hospital to benefit from greater process optimisation and reduction in consumption and waste.

11. NUH is the first hospital in the world to receive the Healthcare Sustainability Certification from the Joint Commission International. This is an impressive accolade for the scope and impact of your environmental initiatives. It is a strong recognition for your commitment to environmental stewardship, setting a new benchmark for healthcare institutions worldwide. Congratulations NUH!

Conclusion

12. I hope that you will not rest with this recognition, as all of you can do so much more, and inspire many more amongst your peers and community to do the same. As we can see from the participants today, many healthcare institutions have also embarked on the sustainability movement. I want to acknowledge all present here today for taking your precious time from your work and personal time to devote yourselves to saving the planet. It is most remarkable.

13. As the saying goes, to walk fast, go alone; to walk far, go in a group. This community that is here today forms the group that will lead the healthcare sector towards a more sustainable future. And you have your work cut out for you.

14. Climate change is here, and its impact will be felt for many decades to come. As with many other sectors, we have to act - to mitigate our impact, to reduce our waste, to reduce our footprint on the planet. At the same time, we have to adapt to a warmer world with consequences like water scarcity, prolonged heat stress, poor air quality from forest fires and new transmissible, vector-borne diseases. The more we are able to mitigate, the less we need to adapt. Reducing our carbon footprint and protecting our environment are therefore so essential for the physical and mental health of our patients and communities. Saving healthcare resources will not only lower the operating costs for hospitals in the longer term, keeping our healthcare cost in check, it can also inspire the healthcare sector to be a more sustainable and climate-resilient one. One that is more resilient supplies disruptions in all the factors that you require for your work, be it water, energy, medical supplies.

15. Let us all be an active contributor of the sustainability movement and make every day a Green Day. I thank the NUH family for your efforts towards sustainable healthcare, for supporting the environment, and for inviting me to this event. Thank you.