"We need to be proactive and promote health"
As much care as possible for every tax dollar - in a climate-proof way. Sirona's vision is to contribute to a shift in healthcare from a reactive to a proactive approach. Johan Hilm, Director at Sirona, talks about the company's sustainability offering.
Today, there is a shortage of resources in healthcare, not least in terms of staff. At the same time, society as a whole, including the health sector, needs to adapt in line with the Paris Agreement. Johan Hilm explains how the two problems are linked:
- Wherever people are involved, money is spent and emissions are generated. At Sirona, we want to raise awareness of this.
In today's healthcare system, the focus is on reactive interventions, which means that those with the greatest needs are prioritized. Sirona's vision is to contribute to a shift to a more proactive approach, to make resources last in the long term. In this way, staffing needs can be reduced, resources saved and ecological footprints reduced.
- We need to be proactive and promote the health of those who are not yet ill, to reduce the risk of them becoming ill in the future.
How do you support your public sector clients with this?
- In a first stage, we can focus on how staff are utilized, but also work on changing lifestyles and public health to reduce the risk of disease. This will be of great benefit to the individual, while saving resources. We see that the public sector needs to take the lead on this - and on the climate transition in general.
What is the offer for other customers?
- We can help private companies get a handle on their emissions, for example. The financial rewards will be significant for those who choose to go first, as the EU imposes increasingly stringent emissions requirements on businesses and organizations.
- For the authorities we work with, there are several different dimensions. Among other things, we can provide support for better requirements for private suppliers, procurement and follow-up.
What are the challenges?
- The cost of emissions is very low. This means that no one today would refrain from certain treatments solely because of the carbon footprint, even if there is no patient risk. In addition, the major focus in healthcare today is on core activities. This is not a bad thing, but it contributes to these issues being pushed to the periphery.
