How UAE Hospitals Integrate Sustainability Into Day-to-day Operations: Cutting Back On Plastic Use And Electronic Records

The UAE’s healthcare facilities have made great strides toward integrating sustainability into their everyday operations. The first target of this initiative has been getting rid of single-use plastic bags in their facilities; many have chosen to utilize paper bags or other environmentally friendly substitutes.

In 2020, Aster Pharmacies will discontinue using plastic bags. Dr. Azad Moopen, the founder and chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, stated, “We are looking at various ways to contribute to the environment, and we came up with giving out paper bags in Aster Pharmacy.”

As part of the UAE Government’s initiative to reduce plastic waste, eco-friendly stores with recyclable and sustainable interior designs have been introduced. To better serve our consumers, we have switched out 7.4 million plastic bags at the pharmacy with recyclable paper bags,” Dr. Moopen continued.

Similarly, RAK Hospital has also reduced and replaced single-use plastic bags. “We began by distributing reusable bags to participants. But we have been gradually removing even the reusable plastic bags from our facilities since the beginning of 2024,” RAK Hospital executive director Dr. Raza Siddiqui stated.