24 May 2019, Vinh Phuc Province – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), held an orientation and inception workshop for the first time on the Sustainable Health in Procurement Project (SHiPP) in Viet Nam. The workshop focused on introducing the project’s importance and expected outcomes. It offered an opportunity for participants and facilitators to explore the impacts of health procurement on the environment, examine sustainable health procurement policies and processes in public and private sector, and discuss the potential technical support to integrate sustainability into procurement across all stages of the supply chain and procurement processes of medicines, health commodities and health facilities in Viet Nam.

Attending the workshop were representatives from the Viet Nam Ministry of Health, the UN Interagency on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector (SPHS) member agencies, UN Global Compact Local Network Viet Nam, private sector in pharmaceutical industry, non-governmental organizations, and research institutions.

Health sector plays a vital role in ensuring human health and well-being; however it can negatively impact human and environmental health. Patients, health care workers and the general public are constantly exposed to the environmental and health risks during the implementation of health programmes. For example, pharmaceutical manufacturing residues in the environment are a major concern. The poorly regulated discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment cause the spread of antibiotic ingredients, which eventually lead to serious health problems, such as antimicrobial resistance and environmental degradation. Moreover, this improper treatment of wastewater threatens wildlife and causes the death of animals in the environment. Toxic releases such as PVC, dioxin and mercury are another threat to public health and planetary health, and they can be found in many medical devices.

Attending the workshop, Vice Minister of Ministry of Health, Nguyen Truong Son said “Special attention has also been given to the link between medical procurement, health service provision and environmental impacts. Sustainable public procurement applications will contribute to improving the quality of production, effective and sustainable use of natural resources, security, safety and equality in society”.

Sustainable procurement of health products and services can drive positive health impacts for patients, communities and the environment. Public procurement has been identified as a key entry point for promoting more sustainable production and consumption patterns. The role of procurement in influencing the environmental impact of health sector operations is well acknowledged, and sustainable procurement practices have the capacity to reduce a significant proportion of the health sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. For example, supply chain-related emissions account for at least 65 percent of the carbon footprint of England’s National Health Service and 82 percent of the carbon footprint of UNDP-administered Global Fund for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis projects in Tajikistan.

By adopting sustainable procurement policies, strategies and practices, health systems, governments and international development actors can, therefore, be drivers for a significant shift towards inclusive, green economies by requiring products and services that are compliant with environmental and social standards throughout their lifecycle.

"Greening health procurement is key to sustainable production and waste management within the health sector” highlighted Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam. She added that "the project aims to promote sustainability in the health sector supply chain to improve human health and reduce greenhouse gases, resource depletion, and chemical pollution."

Funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), and implemented in partnership with Health Care Without Harm, Sustainable Health in Procurement Project (SHiPP) aims to work in a group of lower and middle-income countries to develop and pilot a set of sustainable health procurement practices and policies that synergise with the UN Informal interagency initiative on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector. The project is implemented in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Moldova, Ukraine, Tanzania, South Africa, Viet Nam, and Zambia.

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For additional information, please contact Dr. Rosemary Kumwenda at rosemary.kumwenda@undp.org and Ian Milimo at ian.milimo@undp.org

For media inquiries, please contact Phan Huong Giang, UNDP CCE Media and Communications Analyst, phan.huong.giang@undp.org

For more information on sustainable procurement in the health sector, please visit the HCWH website, and the SPHS online engagement platform on sustainable health procurement www.savinglivesustainably.org