GAHAR announces standards of 3-level certificate for green healthcare facilities in Egypt

31 / 05 / 2022

By Marwa Nassar - -

The Egyptian General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR) announced standards for its first certificate for green healthcare facilities in Egypt which will comprise three levelsز

GAHAR made the announcement during a press conference organized in tandem with the World Health Organization (WHO) office in Cairo and AstraZeneca in light of the Egyptian state’s interest in promoting the concept of sustainable and green buildings amid preparations for hosting the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in November.

GAHAR Chairman Ashraf Ismail said Egypt is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals agenda to accomplish the Egypt Vision 2030, especially with regard to promoting green economy, renewable energy, healthcare services and quality life.

He said entrenching green and sustainable life axes is not impossible, but it requires cooperation between governmental and non-governmental parties to spread awareness about climate action, voluntary work and available potentials.

Ismail noted that the most important axes for green and sustainable health facilities include spreading awareness about eco-friendly practices, transition to clean energy, safe disposal of medical waste, saving water, and adopting healthy nutrition systems.

GAHAR board member Sayyed Oqda said the green healthcare facilities will have three levels; the first level is “the golden certificate for environment excellence” for facilities that meet the set standards by 90 percent, while the second is “the silver certificate” from 70 percent to less than 90 percent.

He said it is time for green and sustainable management of medical waste to reduce carbon emissions, encourage recycling and protect natural resources, especially water, highlighting the importance of flexible dealing with climate change which causes several health problems and loss of resources in developing states.

Meanwhile, Salah El-Hagar, President of Egypt Green Building Council, said health facilities have to play a pioneering role in sustainable development, noting that sustainable management systems include green building standards to ensure improving the level of the services offered and the optimal use of natural resources.

He noted that adopting sustainable management systems will ensure saving 40 to 50 percent of energy and about 40 percent of water of annual consumption in addition to cutting at least 30 percent of carbon emissions.

For his part, AstraZeneca Egypt Board Chairman Hatem Wardani expressed pride for cooperating with the GAHAR to achieve safe and sustainable environment via laying down certain mechanisms with set timetables.

The company’s cooperation with the GAHAR will support the state’s policies for moving ahead towards green future, he said, noting that this goes in line with the AstraZeneca’s sustainability strategy that aims at developing healthcare mechanism and promoting life quality of Egyptian patients.