GE Healthcare fosters development of green hospitals

SINGAPORE — Demonstrating its commitment to be a complete solutions provider of health care systems, GE Healthcare showcased a wide range of medical-related technologies and services at the recent Hospital Build Asia 2010 exhibition and conference in Singapore.

GE Healthcare’s technology portfolio is aimed at helping healthcare and hospital administrators improve the consistency, quality and efficiency of patient care.

Economic and social forces are driving the need for hospitals to strengthen their environmental credentials. And as the Asia-Pacific region continues to grow in terms of strategic importance in the global health care sector, investments in sustainable health care infrastructure are set to increase significantly.

“GE Healthcare is working closely with the public and private hospitals in Singapore to establish the blueprint for green hospitals of the future,” says Tommy Tan, government relations director for ASEAN at GE Healthcare. 

Hospitals typically have a large environmental footprint, consuming three times the energy of a commercial building. This has prompted hospitals around the world to look for ways to reduce energy and resource consumption by building more environment-friendly facilities while continuing to deliver high levels of patient care. 

GE Healthcare’s green hospital approach is focused on improving energy efficiency, optimizing resource consumption, and increasing the share of renewables in energy generation for a significant reduction of carbon footprint. 

GE Healthcare is also able to leverage the breakthrough innovations of its Global Research Centers to develop leading-edge green hospital concepts. 

Its broad-based technologies offer a portfolio of solutions for green hospitals, including the Jenbacher CHP system, which utilizes the waste heat incurred during engine operation to generate overall plant efficiencies of more than 90 percent; a suite of energy-efficient equipment such as in the area of medical imaging; and advanced energy management systems.

As lighting is one of the critical factors to be taken into consideration in many hospitals, GE Healthcare showcased a range of energy-efficient lighting products to reduce energy consumption and operating costs. 

The deployment of advanced IT technologies is another area where hospitals today can reduce environmental impact.