Transportation related carbon emissions in hospitals are produced:

1. From the ambulances,
2. From vehicles used by their staff, patients and visitors,
3. From vehicles used by the staff providing external healthcare services at patients’ homes.

Additionally, carbon emissions are generated in the supply chain of hospitals. According to a recent study in the British National Health Service (NHS) sector it has been estimated that in British hospitals 62% of the total carbon footprint is produced in the supply chain, 24% in the direct delivery of care, 10% in staff, patients and visitors-related transportation as well as from ambulances and 4% from private healthcare services. Supply-chain related emissions constitute of the largest source of emissions that is difficult to be directly influenced. However, carbon emissions related with patient’s healthcare delivery as well as with transportation can be directly influenced without many difficulties.  Hospitals utilize mainly conventional vehicles while the most common fuels used are petroleum-based gasoline and diesel oil.  Use of pure electric vehicle with re-chargeable batteries is currently increasing worldwide supported with various incentives by governments.

Methods for reducing carbon emissions due to transportation in hospitals

There are several methods which can reduce the transportation-related carbon emissions in hospitals including:

1. Reduction of emissions due to staff’s transportation,
2. Reduction of emissions due to patient’s and visitor’s transportation,
3. Reduction of emissions due to patient’s transportation with emergency services,
4. Reduction of emissions due to healthcare delivery at patient’s homes.

Alternative transportation methods comprise:

1. Selection of transportation modes with less carbon emissions from hospital’s staff,
2. Use of more energy efficient ambulances,
3. Use of ambulances fueled with unconventional fuels including electricity. Ambulances fueled by unconventional fuels include hybrid ambulances, ambulances using gaseous or liquid bio-fuels like biogas, bio-ethanol and bio-diesel, pure electric ambulances with re-chargeable batteries and electric ambulances with fuel cells fueled by hydrogen. Providing unconventional fuels to vehicles pre-supposes that hospitals should create the necessary infrastructure for using new alternative fuels including storage tanks for bio-fuels and hydrogen as well as electric battery’s re-charging stations,
4. Providing electricity, with on-site electric battery charges, to electric vehicles used by the staff, patients and visitors. “Green electricity” generated by solar-PV panels installed at hospital’s site can be used for re-charging the batteries of electric vehicles, and
5. Selection of low carbon emissions transportation modes from hospital’s staff when providing on-house healthcare to patients.