Opinion: What American Hospitals Can Learn From India About Waste

The first time we stepped into an operating theater in the United States as medical students, we were shocked by the sheer amount of waste produced from just one surgery. In fact, health care is responsible for nearly 10% of total carbon emissions in the United States , contributing approximately 5 million tons annually .

Thirty percent of that waste comes from operating rooms , much of it due to disposable gowns, drapes, instruments, and plastic packaging. As we continued with our medical training, we grew used to the idea that high-quality care inevitably produces high waste.

But reading several published articles on the resource efficiency of hospitals in India forced us to question that assumption. How were they providing thousands of surgeries a day with a fraction of the waste — and no compromise in safety?

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