Medical Delta professor Jan-Carel Diehl aims to green the healthcare sector: "We heal people, but indirectly create patients"

Following his appointment as a Medical Delta Professor, AD Algemeen Dagblad interviewed Prof. Dr. Ir. Jan-Carel Diehl (TU Delft - Industrial Design, Erasmus MC). Seven garbage bags per patient per day in the ICU: "We heal people, but indirectly create patients."

"Seven to eight percent of the national CO2 emissions are related to healthcare. We have a great healthcare system in the Netherlands. The paradox is that due to the environmental impact of the sector, we create sick people elsewhere. Healthcare aims to make people better, but indirectly, it also creates patients.”

For example, due to climate change, tropical diseases are getting closer. Heat stress causes illnesses, and there is more asthma due to air pollution. Although efforts are being made to bring about changes, they are not immediately visible. "It is important that we find a tipping point quickly. In this sector, it takes longer. Due to stricter regulations, everything has to be tested first. A device that we come up with now may only hit the market in five, six, or seven years."

Dream for the Future

Nevertheless, Diehl remains optimistic. "There is hope, for sure. The willingness is there, from everyone in the chain. The momentum is now. Three or four years ago, everyone pointed fingers at someone else. Now, there is a conviction that we need to collaborate."

Read the full interview in AD Algemeen Dagblad (free after registration) here.
Find out how you can contribute to the sustainability of healthcare here.