Green Surgery: To Reduce Carbon Footprint

Abstract

Environmental, economic, and ethical considerations have come together to make green surgery a need in hospitals. Because of their operations, healthcare institutions have the potential to significantly impact the environment through their use of energy, trash production, and resource depletion. An effort to lessen these effects has been the rise of ‘green surgery’ programs, which seek to reduce surgical waste without sacrificing the quality of care for patients1. Green surgery has real advantages beyond just helping the environment. For example, patients can save money on energy and garbage by having less surgical procedures done. Hospitals are also under growing pressure to conform to rules and regulations, as environmental sustainability is being prioritized by regulatory bodies. Corporate social responsibility goals and a hospital’s image as an eco-friendly leader are both served by green surgery. The ultimate goal of implementing green surgery practices is to ensure the health and safety of patients and the community at large in the long run. The term ‘green surgery’ is most commonly used to describe surgical procedures that are designed to be as gentle on the environment as possible and as sustainable as possible2.