HOSPITALS are institutions dedicated to treating diseases and improving health, but are major contributors to health problems caused by the environment, which causes the deaths of 12 million people a year, the head of international environmental health organization Health Care Without Harm Asia (HCWH) told The Manila Times.

In addition to being vulnerable to climate-related threats such as storms, “hospitals have their own negative impact on the environment through the energy they use, the products they consume, and the waste they create,” environmental health expert Josh Karliner said.