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Mediclinic Middle East has been recognised by the Department of Health (DoH) at the Emerald Muashir Awards ceremony held at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28, with Mediclinic Al Noor Hospital and Mediclinic Al Ain hospital announced as top performers of the Medium Hospital category, .  Emerald Muashir was developed to rate and evaluate the sustainability levels of healthcare facilities through the three main dimensions of infrastructure, operations, and healthcare waste management.

Globally, healthcare is one of the largest industrial emitters of greenhouse gases.  At Mediclinic, a diversified international private healthcare services group, established in South Africa in 1983, with divisions in Switzerland, Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia) and the UAE, we are committed to mitigating the impact of our business on the environment by focusing on our carbon footprint, use of energy and water resources, and waste management. Additionally, we have pledged to reach zero waste to landfill and carbon neutrality by 2030, in accordance with the DoH’s sustainability goals to achieve net zero.

As the UAE welcomes COP28 to Dubai, Mediclinic Middle East is proud that our approach to sustainability is guided not only by the wider Group, but also by the vision of the government of the UAE, who are one of the most progressive governments in the world in terms of leading sustainable change to reduce greenhouse gases.  Since the launch of Mediclinic Middle East’s sustainability roadmap, below includes our key achievements:

• One of the first healthcare providers in the UAE to purchase renewable energy in 2022 – sufficient to power all our healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi
• Replacement of fleet with hybrid vehicles
• Complete replacement of high-polluting desfluorane anaesthetic gas with more sustainable alternatives, leading to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of almost 90 tonnes
• Installation of PV panels at hospitals and clinics in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, generating up to 71% of all electricity requirements
• Installation of smart meters in the Mediclinic Middle East corporate office leading to a sustained reduction and more consistent electricity usage
• Installation of low water usage technologies, resulting in water usage reduction of more than 4000 cubic metres
• Replacement of all plastic bags in pharmacies with paper bags
• Introduction of reusable cups and crockery
• Segregation and recycling of waste
• Tree and mangrove planting
• Enrolment of 278 Mediclinic Middle East employees as ‘Green Champions’ to drive sustainability initiatives at facility level
• Recognition by the Environment Friends Society for Mediclinic Middle East’s efforts to raise awareness of environmental protection and sustainability in the UAE community

Hein van Eck, Chief Executive Officer of Mediclinic Middle East, said:  ‘At Mediclinic Middle East, our focus is not only for caring for our patients, but also caring for the environment in which we operate.  We are fully aware of the heavy environmental burden the healthcare industry can place on the planet, and we are completely committed to relieving that pressure as much as possible through a coordinated and sustained environmental roadmap which will help us reach zero waste to landfill and carbon neutrality by 2030, as well as implantation of ISO 14001.

We are delighted to have been recognised by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi for meeting the Department’s criteria for Emerald Muashir, and we were very proud to be among the first UAE healthcare providers to power a significant portion of our operations through renewable energy.  In addition, our complete replacement of high-polluting anaesthetic gases with more sustainable alternatives has made a huge positive impact on our emissions of greenhouse gases.  We are very excited about our planned future projects which will bring us even closer to our sustainability targets.’

For more information about Mediclinic Middle East’s sustainability initiatives, visit https://www.mediclinic.ae/en/corporate/about-mediclinic-middle-east/sustainability/mediclinic-middle-east-and-the-environment.html or view the summary video here: https://youtu.be/lk70Yy2ZoV0