Project Description

Background: In 2017, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) inaugurated an Environmental Sustainability Working Group (ESWG) and workshop. The group recognises that healthcare greenhouse gas emissions have a significant impact on the climate and aims to develop a Triple Bottom Line Sustainability Programme to reduce the impact of eye healthcare on environmental impact and support resilience to climate change.

Approach: During the ESWG workshop in Kathmandu in 2017, a qualitative approach was taken to process proposals for sustainability, using thematic coding. They identified priorities for increasing capacity and sustainable community cataract programmes. The proposals produced 9 categories: procurement of lower carbon consumables/reusables; patient pathway changes, greener energy, buildings, care closer to home, policies, human resource, waste, and transport.

Intended Benefits

Patient outcomes: Patient outcomes should be monitored to see if changes produce an effect.

Environmental, Financial, Social: The changes to the process of eye healthcare proposed are assumed to have environmental, financial, and social impacts. The proposals have identified ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle consumables/reusables as well as reduce transport to services and use renewable energy. The financial and social impacts are unknown at the moment.

Key Aspects of the Project

This project engaged eye healthcare providers and leaders to gain a better understanding of planned approaches to sustainable care.