New ATACH technical products launched at COP30

Image credit: WHO

Two new technical guidance documents have been published this week on the ATACH Community of Practice website and were launched during ATACH day at COP30:

• Measuring greenhouse gas emissions in health systems
• Decarbonizing the healthcare supply chain: strategic actions for health systems

 

These reports are the products of the ATACH Task Teams for Measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of national health systems and for Alignment of national procurement standards, respectively. They meet the need for actionable guidance to support progress towards climate resilient and sustainable health systems. 

The guidance for measuring GHG emissions in health systems sets out a common approach to calculating health system emissions. It outlines that rapid and significant progress can be made with modest resources. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and this guidance allows systems to identify the next appropriate meaningful step in developing GHG measurement. This guidance was co-authored by National Health Service England (NHS), National University of Singapore (NUS), and World Health Organization (WHO). It will be accompanied by case studies which provide insight for implementation of the concepts of the guidance in diverse range of real-world contexts.  

The report for decarbonizing the healthcare supply chain strategic actions for health systems sets out practical actions for health systems to take. Actions are outlined in two areas: optimizing demand and usage and accelerating supplier decarbonization through sustainable procurement practices. This report encourages better understanding of supply chain hotspots, partnership working and international alignment, while also discussing the key steps that will lead to the most transformative action moving forward. The report was co-authored by NHS England, WHO, the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; the Irish Health Service Executive; the French Ministry of Health; the German Ministry of Health; and the Norwegian Hospital Procurement Trust. It is illustrated by real-world ‘implementation examples’ embedded in the report.