HOSPITAL NEWS
Sustainability program gives
hospital waste new purpose
Hospital employees at Ramsay Health Care are leading a new environmental sustainability program
to reduce the amount of hospital waste that ends up in landfill.
Ramsay hospitals in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western
Australia are now participating in the PVC Recycling in
Hospitals program to collect and recycle IV fluids bags
in Australia.
The innovative local sustainability program is part of
a partnership between Ramsay Health Care, Baxter
Healthcare and the Vinyl Council of Australia.
Non-hazardous medical waste is traditionally sent to landfill
at a cost to hospitals and the environment.
All PVC products collected as part of the PVC Recycling in
Hospitals program – including empty IV bags, oxygen masks
and tubing – are recycled in Australia and converted into
garden hoses and outdoor playground matting.
Last year, more than 200 tonnes of hospital waste was
recycled across Australia and New Zealand as part of the
PVC Recycling in Hospitals program.
As part of the program, Baxter distributes designated
recycling collection bins to Ramsay hospitals and organises
training for hospital staff on correct disposal and waste
segregation.
Waste collected is recycled in Australia by Welvic, which
converts the non-hazardous waste into new products.
A typical 300 bed hospital can recycle about 2.5 tonnes
of PVC waste a year – enough to make 17km of garden hose
or 865 outdoor playground mats.
Last year, the innovative recycling program expanded to the
collection of Baxter aluminium bottles of anaesthesia gas.
Recycling 10,000 aluminium bottles saves about 10 cubic
metres of landfill.
20-Years of Cardiothoracic
Surgery at Greenslopes
More than 5,700 cardiothoracic operations have
been performed at Greenslopes Private Hospital
over the past 20 years.
The majority of these
procedures have involved open
heart surgery with patients
undergoing coronary bypass
surgery or corrective surgery on
the aortic and mitral valve.
Patients who have received
such treatment have ranged in
age from 23-years to 88-years
of age, with an average age of
69 years.
Dr Paul Watson
A group of highly skilled
cardiothoracic surgeons at Greenslopes Private Hospital
perform these procedures using the latest technology and
prostheses.
Chair of Cardiology, Dr Paul Watson, said Greenslopes Private
Hospital offers a one-stop service treating a wide variety of both
simple and complex cardiac conditions.
RAMSAY HOSPITALS TAKING PART IN THE PVC & ALUMINIUM
RECYCLING PROGRAMS INCLUDE:
St George Private
PVC & Aluminium
Kareena Private
PVC
Beleura Private
PVC
Masada Private
PVC
The Ramsay Way 2018 | 04 15
Mitcham Private
PVC
Peninsula Private
PVC
Linacre Private
PVC & Aluminium
Warringal Private
PVC & Aluminium
Glenferrie Private
PVC
North Shore Private
Aluminium
Joondalup
PVC
Hollywood Private
PVC
John Flynn
PVC
Mildura Public
PVC
Alex Mu (Baxter) and Silvia Silva (Ramsay)
Liver cancer treatment launches at
John Flynn Private Hospital
A cutting-edge form of radiotherapy will be used to treat patients with liver cancer, through GenesisCare at John Flynn Private Hospital.
Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) is available
for the first time in the Gold Coast region. It involves the use
of high doses of treatment delivered in a highly accurate and
focused manner to tumours.
Primary liver cancer is one of the top ten most common cancers
in the Gold Coast region. Survival rates are low with less than
one in four people (23%) surviving five years.
Liver cancer patients on the Gold Coast or in the Tweed region,
who may be suitable for SABR, will now be able to access
treatment closer to home. Patients have previously needed to
travel to Brisbane or Sydney for the same health care option.
Lead radiation oncologist Dr Sid Baxi said, “At GenesisCare
we are always looking for ways to collaborate with medical
teams to improve access to the latest treatments for patients.”
Liver SABR provides tumour control rates as high as 90% and
is actively utilised in conjunction with other treatments in a
multidisciplinary setting.
“An increasing proportion of Australians are being treated with
SABR techniques. Patients who are able to access this non-invasive
treatment can do so in an outpatient setting, meaning
minimal interference to their day-to-day lives. This technology
requires technical and clinical skills in a multidisciplinary team
with one common goal – delivering high quality, safe and
ultimately better patient care,” said Dr Baxi.
Typically, patients need between one to six treatments with
SABR, which means fewer visits to the hospital. Recovery
time frames are short with management of acute and long-term
side effects.
SABR technique is different from conventional radiotherapy
techniques in that high doses can be focused on tumours,
killing cancer cells with minimal damage to surrounding
healthy tissues.