Health & Sustainability

Today is my 51st birthday.

In the 51 years since my birth in 1972 our planet average temperatures have increased by 1oC, and we have had the 10th warmest years in recorded history (since 1880 that is). In fact, those 10 warmest years have all occurred since 2010!

As I write this article, government officials meeting at COP 28 in the UAE are trying to reach an agreement for a joint statement around reduction or phase-out of fossil fuels. This fight for our planet desperately needs the strong commitment from all governments around the world, but the sheer magnitude of the challenge and the stakes involved means that the responsibility for tackling climate change may start with policy makers, but it ends with each one of us, as leaders in government, public institutions, corporations, NGOs, civil society and also as individuals.

At Viamed Salud we say to our patients “Your health is my Purpose”. The way we see it, at least since I joined a little over 3 years ago, this is a transversal purpose that doesn’t end with the provision of high-quality healthcare services. When we speak of health, we speak obviously of excellence in the care provided to our patients, but also of a strong commitment with the sustainability of the planet, the macro-environment that influences our health, and the health of those that will come.

I am lucky in the sense that in Macquarie Asset Management I have a shareholder that is at least as committed to sustainability as I am, and I have built a Management Team at Viamed that is very aligned and supportive of our goal to reach Net Zero in CO2 emissions by the end of this decade.

To this effect almost 3 years ago we built our strategic plan for reaching this goal. Our EViamed30 plan summarizes our company's responsible commitment to innovation and leadership in the search for sustainable solutions capable of strengthening the alliance between the healthcare activity we carry out and the preservation of the environment we share.

Proof of this determination to provide a coherent and integrated response to the global climate and energy crisis is the commissioning a few weeks ago of the first green hydrogen plant in Europe to be installed in a hospital. The system, which has been installed at the Viamed San José Hospital in the region of Murcia, Spain, enables the hospital to generate both Hydrogen (H2) for heating and Oxygen (O2) for the hospital and patients care needs using as raw materials nothing but water and sunlight (picture of the core instalation accompanying this post).

The photovoltaic structure that powers the green hydrogen plant has 289 panels installed on the hospital's roofs and car park and produces H2 and O2 through a process of water electrolysis supported by environmentally friendly energy. The clean gases produced are used for two purposes: Hydrogen serves as fuel for an innovative boiler that provides hot water and heating for the hospital; Oxygen, with a purity of 99%, (once validated by the relevant authorities) will be incorporated into the healthcare processes with the guarantee of self-sufficiency and a considerable contribution to the reduction of the carbon footprint created by both the traditional production and transport of this medicinal gas.

Our commitment to reducing our CO2 footprint is reflected in the implementation of self-consumption projects such as the one at Viamed San José Hospital, in the implementation of sustainable mobility measures and in a specific waste plan based on circular economy models. 90% of our Viamed hospitals currently have photovoltaic energy installations. We have deployed 1,500 panels to reach an electricity self-supply of more than 13% of our needs. The replacement of Nitrous Oxid, a highly polluting anesthetic gas, with other, more environmentally friendly solutions, will also contribute to the reduction of the carbon footprint. Measured in tons of carbon dioxide, Viamed's Nitrous Oxid footprint will have been reduced by 95% by the end of next year.

Our commitment to sustainability does not end there. In addition to the aforementioned actions, we have also created a biogas plant at the Viamed Santa Elena Hospital in Madrid. Its entry into service represents a significant advance in the recovery of organic resources generated by the hospital. This installation prevents 29 tons of waste from ending up in landfills, and has also made the hospital's kitchens self-sufficient from an energy point of view. Measured in environmental terms, the savings in natural gas will reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to four tons each year.

Our corporate contribution is a very small, tiny fraction of what needs to occur. My hope in sharing this is that the many others taking similar actions feel reinforced in their commitment and those that haven't started feel compelled to do so. The time to act is now.