A collective of health and medical organisations across Queensland are calling for the state government to install rooftop solar and battery developments across hospitals over the next 12 months.
Forming an alliance between the AMA Queensland, Climate and Health Alliance and Doctors for the Environment and Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union, the three bodies have united with the Queensland Conservation Council to demand a commitment to be made, labelling it a “matter of urgency”.
Louise Matthiesson, Queensland Conservation Council Director, said the state government needs to invest in the renewables field, specifically for public hospitals. She noted further support to help share the expertise for uptake to private hospitals is also a high priority.
“This could be a stimulus program that delivers jobs now, and long term savings that help Queensland hospitals best deploy their resources to continue to deliver world-leading care,” said Matthiesson in a recent statement
Mattiesson also added that the initiative is a “sensible solution” towards creating much-needed job opportunities, saving public funding and improving public assets. It will also help establish energy storage that’s highly needed to stabilise the grid, as well as reduce emissions that are currently contributing to climate change.
As of 2020, there are 122 public hospitals spread across Queensland, with 119 of them being public acute hospitals, and three acting as psychiatric hospitals. Most notably, the state’s healthcare system is directly responsible for approximately 7 per cent of carbon emissions. This figure could be curbed by using solar arrays and battery storage solutions to distribute constant off-grid energy supply to hospital sites during peak periods and natural disasters. It would also decrease their reliance on harmful sources such as diesel, petrol and gas generation.
Beth Mohle, Secretary of Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) said the QNMU commends greener developments for the state’s hospitals and health sector.
She also added that the body of nurses and midwives in the field strongly advocate the use of better waste technologies within hospital sites, as well as introducing solar energy into the equation.
“Utilising currently unused spaces to install solar and help power our hospitals will benefit Queenslanders, the environment and the economy.
“Hospitals should be designed to deliver better health, and climate change is predicted to be one of the greatest health threats of the 21st century. Hospitals should be using clean energy to deliver health.”
