The Lancet Countdown Report showed that health gains of the last 50 years are severely threatened by the effects of climate change and that the “greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century” is how to reform the healthcare sector in the sense of planetary sustainability.
As part of our own mission to improve health worldwide, ISQua, as part of our 36th International Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, announced the publication of our offical statement, on the urgent, worldwide, important issue of sustainability in health care as related to quality, affordability, and accessibility.
ISQua concurs with the following principles regarding climage change:
- ISQua recognises the serious consequences of climate change and pollution for the health of individuals and populations across the planet;
- ISQua recognises that the healthcare sector has a responsibility to minimise its impact on climate change and pollution;
- ISQua recognises the urgency and importance of climate change as part of its mission to inspire and empower people to advocate for and facilitate health and improvements, in the quality and safety of healthcare worldwide;
- ISQua believes that inspiring and empowering people to advocate for, and facilitate health and improvements includes the promotion of climate sustainability and implementation of climate-friendly interventions;
- ISQua will support the promotion of climate sustainability in the health care sector.
These principles will be carried forward throughout the year. We also invited our Members to provide us with good practices and evidence on how to innovate patient care while enhancing sustainability, as part of our 37th conference in Florence, Italy in 2020.
The full statement can be downloaded from our resources page - ISQua's Statement on Sustainability in Health Care