Por Redaccion 
The Andalusian Health Service (SAS) allocates €128.8 million to initiatives in 40 centers to promote energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions in its facilities, as well as another €120 million to promote renewable energies, for which it has already received 318 projects from both Primary Care and Hospital centers.
These projects stem from two specific objectives outlined in the Strategic Integrated Environmental Management Plan of the Andalusian Health Service Horizon 2030 (PEGAI) presented by the Minister of Health and Consumption, Rocío Hernández, and funded by European funds from the ERDF: Operational Program 2021-27, as well as €32 million from the Program for the Promotion of Rehabilitation of Public Buildings of the Communities and Autonomous Cities (PIREP).
The measures to improve the energy efficiency of the centers estimate a savings in annual consumption of non-renewable primary energy exceeding 85,000 MWh/year, resulting in an energy saving of around 40% in the centers where action is taken, with an annual reduction in CO2 emissions reaching 15,000 tons of CO2 eq/year, a 45% reduction in percentage terms.
Likewise, preliminary studies indicate that the implementation of the planned solar photovoltaic installations can provide an annual energy production exceeding 80,000 MWh/year, with an installed capacity of around 50 MW, resulting in a reduction of CO2 emissions greater than 35,000 tons of CO2 eq/year, «which is a significant achievement that contributes to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future,» stated Antonio Olivares, Deputy Director of Services and Management of Centers at the SAS’s General Directorate of Economic Management and Services.
Notably, the SAS accounts for approximately 40% of the electricity consumption of the Andalusian Government, with over 400 GWh, and gas consumption exceeds 230 GWh. However, 100% of the electricity in all SAS centers is certified as renewable.
These data, along with the carbon footprint, ranging from 11,924 tons of CO2 eq per year (greenhouse gases) at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital to 3,988 at the Virgen Macarena University Hospital, according to measurements from 2023, and the generation of over 3,300 tons of hazardous waste per year, with over 2,000 tons being infectious waste, where €4.5 million is spent annually on waste management and approximately €1.6 million is paid in fees for municipal waste management, have prompted the development of this Strategic Plan that «once again positions Andalusia as a leader on the path to a more sustainable healthcare system, for a healthier future for all Andalusians and future generations,» valued Rocío Hernández.
Certification of integrated management
The Minister also highlighted that 22 centers of the public healthcare system in Andalusia have renewed their certification under the international standard ISO 50001 for their integrated energy management system until 2027. Specifically, the Alto Guadalquivir Hospital, Costa del Sol Hospital, Infanta Elena Hospital, Torrecárdenas Hospital, San Cecilio Clinic, University Hospital of Jaén, Poniente Hospital, Juan Ramón Jiménez Hospital, Puerta del Mar Hospital, Puerto Real Hospital, Regional Hospital of Málaga, Reina Sofía Hospital, Virgen de las Nieves Hospital, Osuna Healthcare Management Area, Axarquía East Málaga Healthcare Management Area, Jerez Healthcare Management Area, Costa Noroeste and Sierra de Cádiz Healthcare Management Area, Northeast Jaén Healthcare Management Area, North Málaga Healthcare Management Area, Serranía de Málaga Healthcare Management Area, South Seville Healthcare Management Area, Macarena Hospital Area, and North Córdoba Healthcare Management Area have once again achieved this certification, which «endorses our commitment to environmental care and energy management in the provision of healthcare services, both in healthcare and non-healthcare activities.»
The Minister of Health and Consumption, who recalled that the public healthcare system in Andalusia was the first public healthcare system in Spain to have a comprehensive environmental management system for all its centers certified according to the international standard ISO 14001, emphasized that «the health of the planet is the health of all. Our environment influences our health, and all our actions have an impact on our surroundings.» For this reason, she elaborated, «our goal is to take care of the health of Andalusians, leaving only the necessary footprint on their bodies and in their memory, but without a carbon footprint, with proper waste and energy management, contributing to combating climate change.»
Thus, she detailed, this plan seeks to reduce the impact of SAS operations on the environment by promoting decarbonization and fostering the use of renewable energies. It also aims to achieve a more resilient healthcare service to the effects of climate change, working towards adapting to the inherent risks.
«With this Plan, we also aim for an increasingly decarbonized energy model, committed to contributing to mitigating climate change, increasing savings, and promoting the use of secure renewable energies, carrying out a comprehensive and efficient waste management, using water as a limited resource, leveraging its purchasing potential to drive environmental sustainability in the value chain of the products and services it consumes, promoting sustainable mobility, raising awareness and training its professionals, and being a leader in environmental innovation,» added Hernández.
Strategic objectives and areas of interest
Alongside the SAS General Manager, Valle García, and Antonio Olivares, the Minister, who was also accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Health and Consumption, María Luisa del Moral, detailed the ten strategic objectives of the plan, which aim to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, promote the adoption of renewable energy sources, establish efficient and sustainable waste management addressing all types of waste generated in SAS facilities, and promote sustainable mobility to reduce transportation emissions and minimize air quality impact. The PEGAI also aims to improve energy efficiency in SAS facilities and operations, as well as enhance water consumption efficiency in healthcare processes and facilities, both healthcare and non-healthcare.
Among the objectives are also to promote the procurement of sustainable goods and services throughout the value chain; foster innovation, public-private collaboration, and collaboration with universities and other public entities to find sustainable solutions in the healthcare field; promote awareness and training in sustainability throughout the organization on environmentally identified areas of interest; encourage transparency and participation in the implementation of PEGAI; and establish a measurement and monitoring system to assess the environmental performance of the SAS, to understand the evolution of environmental variables that impact us and make informed decisions.
With the horizon set for 2030 and with the aim of offering a clearer and more concise vision on the energy and environmental issues raised, this PEGAI-SAS H2030 revolves around eight major areas of interest: awareness and training, strategic public procurement, waste management and circular economy, sustainable resource use, sustainable mobility, promotion of environmentally sustainable restoration, environmental performance measurement, innovation, and collaboration with society; with clear objectives to «advance towards energy self-sufficiency and optimize the carbon and water footprint, as I mentioned, reducing the environmental impact of healthcare center activities,» concluded the Minister.