Latest news with #GreenHealthcareFacilitiesConference2025
Malay Mail
02-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Healing people, healing the planet: Bioeconomy at the heart of Malaysia's sustainable healthcare — Mohd Khairul Fidzal Abdul Razak
MAY 2 — Malaysia's healthcare system is evolving — not just to heal people, but to heal the planet. A clear reflection of this shift is the launch of a biodegradable products pilot project by the Ministry of Health (MoH) at the Green Healthcare Facilities Conference 2025 on April 28, marking a key step towards a more sustainable healthcare future. This pilot initiative is the result of a collaboration between MoH and Free The Seed Sdn Bhd — a BioNexus Status company nurtured by the Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation (Bioeconomy Corporation) — to supply biodegradable patient meal trays in selected hospitals, with plans for nationwide rollout. MoH's leadership in promoting sustainability and spearheading a transformational shift towards a carbon-neutral healthcare system deserves strong recognition. This initiative underscores MoH's firm commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, ensuring healthcare not only heals people but also contributes to a climate-resilient future. Why does this matter? Since 2022, clinical trials with MoH have shown that biodegradable items are safer for the environment and more cost-efficient than steel and plastic utensils, which require water-intensive cleaning and sterilisation. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data reinforces the case: biodegradable items emit only 91.2 kg of CO₂ compared to 6,400 kg for steel and 2,211 kg for plastic utensils. MoH's leadership in promoting sustainability and spearheading a transformational shift towards a carbon-neutral healthcare system deserves strong recognition. — Picture via Unsplash/Andriyko Podilnyk In terms of deforestation, biodegradable items cause negligible impact — about four trees lost — versus 3,110 for steel and 17,000 for plastic utensils. Equally important is the social impact. Over 10 years, this initiative generates RM156,800 in additional income for B40 farmers in Gurun, Kedah who supply rice straw waste — repurposed by Free The Seed through patented biotechnology into biodegradable products that naturally decompose. By becoming key partners in the supply chain, farmers also help prevent open burning and landfill disposal of agricultural waste. This shift aligns closely with the principles of bioeconomy, where biotechnology and bio-based materials are part of a circular system that add value to local industries, reduce dependency on fossil-derived materials, and create additional income for rural livelihoods. It also supports Malaysia Madani, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the National Biotechnology Policy 2.0, which promotes sustainable bio-based innovation and a low-carbon, circular economy. Bioeconomy Corporation is proud to support this transformation. As the lead agency advancing Malaysia's bioeconomy, it works closely with government bodies, researchers, companies, and local communities to nurture the ecosystem. It helps identify promising technologies, accelerate regulatory pathways, and enable partnerships that bring bio-based innovation into mainstream use — just like the collaboration between Free The Seed, MoH, and the farmers. But this is just the beginning. There are many more opportunities to bring sustainability into the healthcare value chain: biodegradable packaging for pharmaceuticals, plant-based disinfectants, enzyme-based cleaning products, and bio-based hospital textiles. The potential is enormous and Malaysia has the expertise, biodiversity, and industry players to lead the region in sustainable healthcare solutions. And Bioeconomy Corporation is ready to lead this charge. Together, we can reimagine healthcare as not only a system that cures, but one that also cares — for people and the planet. * Mohd Khairul Fidzal Abdul Razak is the Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation (Bioeconomy Corporation) ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
Malay Mail
28-04-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Health Ministry pilots renewable energy projects at hospitals, launches innovation centre for sustainable healthcare
PUTRAJAYA, April 28 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) is piloting renewable energy projects through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) at selected healthcare facilities within the Klang Valley, establishing the Centre for Healthcare Engineering Brilliance, Research and Innovation (Brain), and promoting biodegradable alternatives to support the circular economy. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said these initiatives are not standalone actions, but long-term investments in climate resilience, resource efficiency and sustainable healthcare operations. 'A sustainable health system also requires continuous innovation and smart financing,' he said in his speech at the Green Healthcare Facilities Conference 2025, themed From Vision to Action: Shaping the Future of a Green and Healthy Environment, here today. Also present at the event were Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Health director-general Datuk Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan. In urging the sector to act boldly, Lukanisman shared that the next decade would require the health sector to move beyond compliance and minimum standards. He said the ministry must lead with conviction, from how it designs buildings to how it operates critical systems, trains its technical teams, and engages communities in planetary health. 'A healthy planet is essential for healthy people. Thus, I urge each of you to take ownership of this mission. When the health sector acts with courage, others will follow,' he said. Reflecting on the MOH's journey under the Sustainability Programme 2015-2025, he said the ministry had made meaningful progress in advancing greener healthcare facilities over the past decade. Among the achievements are the adoption of energy management systems across hospitals nationwide, green building certifications for operations and maintenance, improvements in indoor air quality, and the implementation of a sustainable waste management programme based on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle (3R). Lukanisman emphasised that MOH employees, engineers, healthcare professionals and concession company partners largely drove these transformations internally. In 2023, the MOH launched the Carbon Neutral Healthcare Facilities Blueprint, a framework to guide healthcare facilities towards adopting renewable energy, improving water efficiency, and enhancing waste management as part of broader decarbonisation efforts. 'Our goal is to achieve carbon neutrality across the MOH by 2045, placing us ahead of Malaysia's national net-zero target by 2050,' he said. Underscoring the urgency, Lukanisman noted that the climate crisis is fundamentally a health crisis, as rising temperatures, extreme weather events, water insecurity and air pollution increasingly strain healthcare systems and impact vulnerable communities. 'Healthcare itself contributes significantly to the climate problem. Globally, the sector is responsible for nearly five per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. 'Alongside healing our patients, we also have a responsibility to protect the environment. This is the paradox we face and the very reason this conference is so important,' he added. — Bernama
Barnama
28-04-2025
- Health
- Barnama
MOH Pilots Renewable Energy Projects, Sets Up Brain Centre To Drive Sustainable Healthcare
PUTRAJAYA, April 28 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) is piloting renewable energy projects through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) at selected healthcare facilities within the Klang Valley, establishing the Centre for Healthcare Engineering Brilliance, Research and Innovation (BRAIN), and promoting biodegradable alternatives to support the circular economy. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said these initiatives are not standalone actions, but long-term investments in climate resilience, resource efficiency and sustainable healthcare operations. 'A sustainable health system also requires continuous innovation and smart financing,' he said in his speech at the Green Healthcare Facilities Conference 2025, themed From Vision to Action: Shaping the Future of a Green and Healthy Environment, here today. Also present at the event were Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Health director-general Datuk Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan. In urging the sector to act boldly, Lukanisman shared that the next decade would require the health sector to move beyond compliance and minimum standards. He said the ministry must lead with conviction, from how it designs buildings to how it operates critical systems, trains its technical teams, and engages communities in planetary health. 'A healthy planet is essential for healthy people. Thus, I urge each of you to take ownership of this mission. When the health sector acts with courage, others will follow,' he said. Reflecting on the MOH's journey under the Sustainability Programme 2015-2025, he said the ministry had made meaningful progress in advancing greener healthcare facilities over the past decade. Among the achievements are the adoption of energy management systems across hospitals nationwide, green building certifications for operations and maintenance, improvements in indoor air quality, and the implementation of a sustainable waste management programme based on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle (3R).
