Environmentally Sustainable High-Volume Eye Care Model to Address Climate Change

Climate change is a key component of sustainable development goals and a defining issue of public health. Alarmingly, the health-care industry is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions through its various activities, including procurement, high energy use, transport, and complex waste generation. Healthcare providers are now thinking of environmental care along with patient care. Aravind Eye Hospital (AEH) in south India is recognized as having a sustainable model for eyecare delivery. Over the years, it has unconsciously driven many environmentally sustainable initiatives. This video demonstrates the different steps taken by AEH, Pondicherry, toward environmental sustainability, which include an efficient system to provide one-stop service, minimizing patient visits and thereby reducing patient travel. Aravind's "reduce, reuse, and recycle" process ensures responsible consumption. Finally, incremental innovations in service delivery and process have focused on patient care and minimizing environmental impact.