Major carbon footprint calculation project launched in collaboration with Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health, joining GGHH

On August 28, the project "Carbon Footprint Calculation in Health Care Facilities of Ecuador" (“Estimación de la huella de carbono en establecimientos de salud del Ecuador” in Spanish) was officially launched. In this project, 31 health care facilities will receive technical assistance from Health Care Without Harm to estimate and report their greenhouse gas emissions using the Climate Impact Checkup Tool.

Within the framework of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), the ongoing collaboration of Health Care Without Harm with the Andean Health Organization / Hipólito Unanue Agreement (ORAS-CONHU, for its acronym in Spanish) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador is joining the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network alongside 31 health care institutions to carry out this project.

The technical assistance provided by Health Care Without Harm will include a virtual training program on using the Climate Impact Checkup Tool for 31 health care facilities across Ecuador's nine Zonal coordinates. The program also includes a series of virtual sessions to provide guidance throughout data collection, input, result interpretation, and the development of climate action plans.

Dr. Darwin Armijos, Undersecretary of Health Promotion, Intercultural Health, and Equality of the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, and Dr. José Mosquera, National Director of Environmental Health and Occupational Health at the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, attended the launch event. Both emphasized the importance of developing effective and sustainable climate action plans.

"With this initiative, we are taking the first steps towards fulfilling our international and community commitments, as well as protecting the environment, working towards building a stronger, more resilient, and environmentally friendly health system," said Armijos.

Through this, Health Care Without Harm aims to support the Ministry in its work towards meeting its climate commitments and to facilitate the development of decarbonization and climate resilience plans for the health care sector at the national level. This assistance will take place from August 2024 to January 2025.

To learn more about our work with governments, click here.