RAITHGGHH Vignette
As part of groundWork strategy when working with various communities, the Global Green and Healthy Hospital (GGHH) campaign held its second community planning meeting for members of the Global Green and Healthy Hospital (GGHH) initiative between the 19th and 21st of January. Attendees included sustainability coordinators from the nine GGHH member hospitals, three representatives from the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI), four representatives from the KwaZulu-Natal Health Infrastructure and Infection Control. The sustainability coordinators each had an opportunity to present their achievements in form of case studies and their plans for the year.
The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) who is mandated to develop innovative, sustainable and responsive models for improved service delivery was represented by the Chief Director for Research and Development – Pierre Schoonraad – who is currently working with one of our prospective GGHH members – Helen Joseph Hospital, with installation of solar PV panels and retrofitting of LED lights are being implemented with funding coming directly from the CPSI. The idea that government was looking to fund sustainable innovative projects in hospitals was an instant motivation for the group.
The Head of Department for KwaZulu-Natal Health – Dr Mitshali Sifiso was represented by colleagues from Health Infrastructure – William Coetzee and Erich Schutte, Infection Control – Jabulile Masinga and Peaky Barnes. They attended this planning meeting to hear firsthand experiences from sustainability coordinators, explore options of replicability in the province and finally to provide feedback and recommendation on whether the department should consider becoming a member of this initiative.
Between January and May 2016 we have introduced GGHH to several institutions to promote and encourage sustainable health care practices. They include:
-The Urban Futures Centre, Durban University of Technology
-The Management Committee Meeting at Johannesburg Health Department
-The Chief Executive Officer Workshop, KwaZulu – Natal Department of Health
-Gauteng Health Infrastructure Workshop
-Gauteng Directorate of Health Care Risk Waste Management and Occupational Hygiene Risk
-Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI)
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Part of the outcomes of this meeting has resulted in a series of achievements within the last few months which include:
-Johannesburg Health Department endorsing the GGHH agenda and allowing 14 clinics to participate in GGHH activities
-KwaZulu-Natal Health Department endorsing the GGHH agenda and allowing pilot projects to commence in 6 hospitals in the province
-Endorsement by Durban University of Technology, environmental health department
Future workshops planned include: this will be attended by sustainability coordinators from;
-7 KwaZulu-Natal Hospitals on the 26th May 2016
-14 Clinics from City of Johannesburg Health Departments on 19th July 2016
As the GGHH community continues to expand in network depth and breadth in Africa, Our hope is that we can continue to support our members through consistent and continuous engagement such as our annual community planning meeting and on a regular basis through the multilingual internet platform called GGHH Connect. These activities and much more will promote our network base in Africa and hopefully hospitals and health professionals in the region will begin to add their voice to environmental issues that affect health.