In continuation of the Leaders in Conversation series, Ms Sophia Chao, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Taiwan sits down to have a talk with Vice President Hong Tzu Jen of Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital Taiwan to discuss environmental sustainability within healthcare institutions.
Environmental sustainability is a hot topic at the moment, with more institutions setting goals in various areas, such as reducing their carbon footprint, switching to more sustainable energy sources, and general commitments to a greener future.
Taiwan is amongst the few countries in Asia Pacific to have comprehensive initiatives in place that promotes environmental sustainability, such as the Carbon Footprint Verification initiative, all in the name of achieving a net-zero carbon emission Taiwan by 2050. Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital Taiwan takes it one step further, being the first hospital in Taiwan to sign The Hospital Sustainability Pledge in 2023 with the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), a non-profit organisation leading environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting. In the years since, the pledge has been signed by more than 80 local medical institutions, signaling change that will be witnessed in the years to come.
Through substantial investment and efforts towards physical changes in the institution, the hospital also invested in people management and is the first institution to conduct training and have a group of Climate Sustainability Managers, a pilot group of 31 trainees made up of personnel from various departments who were certified and now lead programmes set by the hospital toward nine major carbon reduction strategies.
Not only has the hospital transformed patient journeys and experiences with the digitalisation of paperwork into a paperless hospital, but they have also managed to reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2.28 metric tonnes. Fully automating the blood banking system has reduced electricity consumption, and in turn, reduced the operational costs. Through implementing electronisation, digitalisation, automation and process optimisation, both objectives of carbon emission reduction and enhanced patient satisfaction can be met. These are just examples of the institution’s broader initiatives, to find out more, watch the full video below.
