Kerala’s health department joins UN-backed Race to Zero campaign

NEW DELHI: Health Care Without Harm, official healthcare partner of Race to Zero, announced on Monday, October 25, that India’s Kerala and other over 50 healthcare institutions representing 11,500 health facilities from 21 countries, have been made the part of UN-backed Race to Zero Campaign. As per this, these organisations commit to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The organisations included in Race to Zero campaign comprise of institutions ranging from global, public and private hospitals and health systems to entire government or state government health departments. The health facilities under the campaign include Directorate of Health Services in Kerala, the international private healthcare and insurance system, Bupa and CommonSpirit Health in United States of America.

Gonzalo Muoz, UN High Level Climate Champion, said that it is exciting to see the improvement of healthcare organisations worldwide to join Race to Zero campaign. Veena George, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala, said that at a time when Kerala is hit with unprecedented climate events, the state health department has shown marvellous commitment to climate resilience and pledged to achieve the net zero emission by signing up to Race to Zero campaign.

The ministries at national level are making high-level commitments to healthcare decarbonisation and resilience while on the other hand more than 45 million health professionals have committed to aggressive action to protect the health from climate change.