Operating rooms, which consume the most energy, are put on "sleep mode" while they are not in use at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, which lowers the demand for air conditioning.
05 jan 2023 6:12AM
Singapore's Mr. Ng Kian Swan works at a hospital, but his duties are more focused on restoring the environment than they are on treating patients.
By consuming less water and electricity, the Ng Teng Fong Hospital's chief operating officer hopes to improve the environment.
Despite the fact that healthcare treats people, he added, "there is an intriguing contradiction. We consume a lot of energy and consumables, which creates a lot of waste and carbon emissions."
You treat the people, but the ecology is not being treated.
Mr. Ng has been examining all the factors that contribute to the hospital's footprint, from minor adjustments like raising the air conditioning temperature in rooms to major alterations like changing the way things have been done for years.
For instance, he used to become agitated when he saw staff wearing sweaters in very chilly areas. He said that the temperature will be set at 18 degrees Celsius, necessitating the need for the gear.
I'm quite unhappy about that because I just can't understand it.
The procedure was altered by Mr. Ng, who chairs the water and energy task committee at the National University Health System (NUHS) cluster level.
All business buildings and several other places now have their air conditioning set to 25 degrees, he added.
MODIFICATION OF "LEGACY" PROCESSES
In addition, Mr. Ng reduced the use of air conditioning, a power-guzzler that he claimed affected "legacy processes," in other ways.
"People used to believe that some departments required to use air conditioning 365 days a year in the good old days (days). Actually, that's untrue "said he.
Only from 8 am to 6 pm does Ng Teng Fong's logistics and medical records office have air conditioning. According to Mr. Ng, the remaining cooling is plenty to maintain the department.
He declared, "This is one major shift, a really drastic one.
Additionally, he altered how air conditioning is utilised on the weekends when fewer people are at work. Previously, central air conditioning would be switched on even if just one person reported for work in the corporate area.
Today, using air conditioning on the weekends is not an option. Employees are given access to a portable fan if necessary.
Another step toward being greener is to put the 18 operating rooms at NTFGH into "sleep mode" while they are not in use to consume less air conditioning. According to Mr. Ng, these theatres utilise the most energy.
ESTIMATING SUCCESS
The hospital also has a solar system that uses the sun's heat to create all of the hot water needed by Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital, where Mr. Ng also serves as chief operating officer.
Mr. Ng began using metres similar to those seen outside of residences in 2021 to track each department's energy, water, and carbon emissions.
"If there is no data to present, no comparison, no trends to be done, then it will be condemned to fail, because there is no visibility," he stated.
Mr. Ng claimed to have observed outcomes.
The energy saved by Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in 2021 was sufficient to run 18 operating rooms for roughly two and a half years or 4,809 four-room HDB apartments for a year. The entire amount of carbon reduced is equal to 143,663 trees planted and allowed to thrive for ten years to absorb carbon.
REDUCING FROSTING
The Alexandra Hospital, a different NUHS facility, is likewise working to reduce its impact on the environment, particularly in terms of food waste.
The hospital produces 250 kg of food waste per day, according to Mr. Jeffrey Chun, the facility's chief operating officer. Food waste accounts for 10% of all created garbage, he continued.
"Each patient using a bed produces roughly 1 kilogramme of food waste every day. We now have between 250 and 300 beds at Alexandra Hospital, he added.
Food waste at the NUHS as a whole amounts to 2 tonnes, according to Mr. Chun, chair of the NUHS trash and recycling committee.
About 30% of the clean food waste—food that was not touched by patients—is saved at Alexandra Hospital. The majority of this clean food waste is sent to an organisation that employs black army flies.
Black soldier flies, according to Mr. Chun, "take your food waste, the larva would devour it, and then they would make rubbish."
The hospital's garden uses the excrement as fertiliser to grow vegetables, herbs, and spices. Growing and using pandan leaves, spinach, and chillies for patient food preparation.
LIMITING OTHER KINDS OF WASTE
He added that the hospital hired a vendor to conduct an audit in order to better understand where the waste is coming from. He continued by saying that paper and plastics typically make up the majority of hospital waste.
Mr. Chun spent the afternoon emptying trash cans in order to learn more about the condition at Alexandra Hospital.
'The majority of the glasses aren't empty. A large portion of the weight is made up of liquids, so if we can get people to simply empty their cups and toss them away, that alone would significantly reduce the weight of garbage, the man stated.
Since last April, all departments of the hospital have ceased using single-use plastics, including the pharmacy, which has also stopped using throwaway plastic bags.
Even textile waste is a problem that has to be addressed. Although seven sets of uniforms are provided for employees, this may be too much for some. Instead, the hospital is switching to a credit-based system, which will allow people to use them to draw everything they need, not only clothes.
The hospital will also begin gathering discarded uniforms, which will be sent to two suppliers along with worn-out and torn bedsheets and linens for possible conversion into paper and building materials.
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