, 2025-05-09 10:48:00
The European Union (EU) has identified training healthcare personnel in green skills as a strategic priority. This topic was recently discussed in a webinar hosted by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.
Green skills encompass the knowledge, skills, and values that enable individuals to implement sustainable practices and promote environmental sustainability. This issue is becoming increasingly significant in the healthcare industry. The webinar focused on the BeWell project, which began in 2022 and aims to develop green and digital skills for a sustainable future in the health ecosystem by incorporating local, regional, national, and European initiatives.
Climate Challenge
Andrea Schmidt, PhD, Head of Department, Climate and Health, Austrian National Public Health Institute, Vienna, Austria, emphasised that climate change poses the greatest challenge to health systems in the 21st century, with record heat, an increasing number of extreme weather events, and a rising risk for allergies and infectious diseases.
“Health systems contribute approximately 5% of greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating two actions: First, improving health to reduce healthcare demand and increase resilience (including health promotion); and second, reducing carbon emissions from health activities,” she added. Therefore, she recommended integrating sustainability into quality improvement strategies.
In her view, healthcare workers play a crucial role in building climate-resilient, low-emission health systems. “They are agents of transformation during these times of multiple crises and are recognised figures in society, with direct access to vulnerable groups. However, there is a gap in education, training, curriculum, and continuous professional development, both in the EU and globally,” she warned.
Three Levels
According to Schmidt, key capabilities must be deployed at the macro, meso, and micro levels. At the macro level, sufficient healthcare workers must be trained and educated, supported by policies that promote climate resilience and health. At the meso level, green teams should be established and trained within institutions to drive innovation and share best practices. Finally, at the micro level, information, awareness, and communication should be promoted, conveying climate-related risks to decision-makers, the media, and community leaders to ensure that they reach the public. She stressed that “collaboration across sectors is essential.”
Among the various frameworks for developing skills and competencies in this area, she highlighted BeWell, a competency matrix that focuses on mitigation strategies. Other useful tools include the Planetary Health Report Card initiative, the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region.
Finally, she identified several barriers, including a lack of healthcare professionals and resources and the low quality of jobs, which increased pressure on health systems. There is also a shortage of trainers with the necessary knowledge to educate healthcare staff on these aspects. Other challenges include a lack of long-term vision due to current pressures and insufficient evidence, knowledge, and awareness to support the implementation of environmentally beneficial practices.
Federica Margheri, executive director at the European Health Management Association, noted a lack of knowledge and awareness in training in green skills, suggesting that all efforts should focus on these areas. Ronald Batenburg, PhD, professor in health workforce and organisation studies at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and program leader at the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, highlighted the absence of indicators as another key issue. He also stressed the importance of training healthcare workers who are just beginning their careers in health systems, insisting on the need to compare results as a means of improvement and to raise awareness.
European Support
Petronille Bogaert, policy officer in the Health Security Unit in DG SANTE at the European Commission, reiterated the importance of green skills for adapting systems to the challenges posed by climate change. “This is not merely a technical update; it is a strategic decision, he said. Green care models are promising, and we will continue to support them. It is essential to do so in the health sector and collaboratively across different sectors,” she said.
During the subsequent debate, questions regarding the funding and evaluation of these initiatives arose. Schmidt advocated for climate resilience, focusing on high-value care and discarding low-value care that affects the carbon footprint. Therefore, existing strategies linked to green skills must be implemented. She concluded that there is “much to learn” from countries outside the European context.
This story was translated from El Medico Interactivo using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.