VICE President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo has cited the importance of having health institutions that do not only cater to human needs but also protect the environment.
In a speech at the inauguration of the GreenCity Medical Center in the City of San Fernando, Robredo lamented that the use of traditional methods and tools in hospitals to save human lives greatly contributes to the fast demise of the Earth.
She noted that the healthcare industry, which currently maximizes the use of traditional methods and tools, has a global carbon footprint of 2.6 billion metric tons or five percent of the total global emission.
“This is why efforts to build a hospital such as the GreenCity Medical Center is critical to our survival. I believe the rest of the healthcare industry should look at it as a proof that taking care of our people’s health does not have to destroy our planet,” Robredo said.
The vice president described the newly-opened healthcare institution as “a product of passion, grit, determination and vision to build a hospital that is truly focused on the well-being of patients, without hurting Mother Earth.”
Robredo urged medical practitioners and allies to be united in the fight for a healthier, greener and more sustainable nation through green and environment-friendly health institutions and practices.
“Our people’s health and future depend on you — medical practitioners and allies who are breaking ground and advancing our country’s green healthcare agenda. And I believe with the establishment of GreenCity Medical Center, we are well on our way to ensuring that every Filipino family has access to reliable healthcare,” she said.
Robredo expressed hope that there will be more clinics, hospitals and other healthcare institutions that are powered by solar panels and practice a new way to safely treat waste water and other toxic disposals.
“By setting an example for others, soon, we should be seeing more health facilities that cater to far-flung and remote areas, perhaps and hopefully with technology powered by sustainable and renewable energy,” she said.