At this year’s international EURIPA 13th Rural Health Forum in Lincoln, England, which took place from the 20th to the 22nd of June, delegates were asked to
‘Take a Pledge for Planetary health’.
The objective was to increase the awareness of planetary health among rural primary healthcare practitioners (RHPC) and to appreciate that even small positive steps can advance planetary health. We want RHCPs to tap into opportunities in their own local and national primary care context. If done at scale all over Europe a significant contribution in the reduction of the carbon footprint of delivering healthcare can be achieved. Delegates were asked to pledge that they would implement one small change. They could choose between five Quality Improvement areas and received information on how to implement the small change step-by-step. Six months after the Forum they will be contacted to find out how their pledged change has been actioned.
Multiple small positive steps taken at scale all over Europe can significantly contribute to the reduction of the carbon footprint of delivering healthcare.
The five quality improvement areas are listed below and you can follow the links to find out more:
WONCA Europe revised its definition of General Practice/Family Medicine in 2023 and it now includes Planetary Health. The environmental crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss is described as a global health emergency. Reducing the carbon footprint of delivering primary care is often perceived as intractable. This initiative helps primary care teams to engage with one small, simple to follow quality improvement project.
You can take a ‘Pledge for Planetary Health’ here and send the completed form to secretary@euripa.org