Perched on a dramatic riverbank and filled with towering tropical plants, the Champalimaud Clinical Centre in Lisbon is not what comes to mind with the words “cancer treatment” – but the work it is doing could be a template for the future of healthcare.
New cancer cases across the world are predicted to increase by more than 50% by 2040, according to the Global Cancer Observatory. And with increased demand for treatment will come a cost that is only now being addressed – its impact on the environment. Given that the world’s healthcare sector is already responsible for 4.4% of the planet’s carbon emissions – surprisingly more than aviation or shipping – the implications for the climate crisis are significant.
With this in mind, the Champalimaud Clinical Centre, a biomedical research and clinical cancer care provider, is putting sustainability at the core of its approach to care with a focus on driving significant change. To this end, it has forged a partnership with the healthcare technology giant Philips that aims to halve the clinic’s carbon footprint from its use of imaging equipment by 2028. Through initiatives such as the installation of CT scanners that use significantly less energy and can be updated rather than replaced in years to come, it is showing how quality care can be more sustainable – and can be scaled across the healthcare industry.
“We consider sustainability to be not just important but a moral and civic obligation,” says João Silveira Botelho, vice-president of the Champalimaud Foundation. “The healthcare industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters and we know that environmental issues impact cancer, so we are mindful that by taking a lead on sustainability we are also engaging in cancer prevention.”
Central to Champalimaud’s purpose, and the quality of its care, is the patient experience, and that begins with the buildings themselves. Designed by the Indian architect Charles Correa who was passionate about uniting place, form and function, the contemporary spaces are beautiful and therapeutic, affording patients views over the River Tagus to the ocean.
“The trauma of a cancer diagnosis can be so overwhelming that we believe that every single detail experienced by a patient should be optimised to make everything as stress-free as possible and promote positive psychological and physical responses to the environment,” says Silveira Botelho. “This includes simple things like smell, the natural beauty of our indoor garden, furniture design, the design of the operating rooms and chemotherapy lounge, and the views from the windows. These seemingly trivial things can add up to make a significant difference.”
He explains that there are four pillars to the clinic’s work – research, clinic, patients and environmental sustainability. “We pay strong attention to detail in the patient experience and each part of our centre is optimised to reduce the burden of cancer treatment and transform what it means to be in a hospital,” he adds.
One way the centre supports patients – and seeks to cut its impact on the planet – is by making treatments more efficient. “Our centre pioneered single-dose radiotherapy in which the patient can receive the full treatment course and go home on the same day instead of having multiple sessions,” says Silveira Botelho. “For issues such as prostate cancer and oligometastases [cancer spread to only one or a limited number of areas in the body], we are the world-leader in the field. Our faculty has published results that suggest that this treatment is not just more convenient for the patient, but has better clinical outcomes.”
When it comes to the centre’s sustainability goals, the aim is to stay ahead of the curve. “We have an initiative to make sure that our centre is powered only by clean energy in the next five years and we have begun our pioneering project with Philips,” says Silveira Botelho. This involves updating and renewing diagnostic imaging technology, such as CT and MRI systems, keeping the clinic at the cutting edge while reducing energy demands, increasing the use of recycled materials, and extending equipment lifespans. With circularity in mind, Philips is taking back the equipment that’s being replaced, with the aim of minimising waste going to landfill.
Simona Comandè, head of marketing Europe region at Philips Healthcare Systems, says: “Our partnership with the clinic and our ‘Care means the world’ campaign are examples of how Philips is looking to accelerate the transition to sustainable healthcare. If we want to continue to care for patients in the best way possible, we need to treat our planet with the same attention and urgency as patients are treated.”
Miguel de Foronda, managing director of Philips Ibérica, adds: “To us, driving sustainable healthcare means investing in sustainability across our operations, and working closely with our customers and the entire healthcare industry.
“We continue to grow our portfolio of energy-efficient, circular, digital and cloud-based solutions, which can significantly reduce a hospital’s carbon footprint as well as waste, while often bringing down costs and increasing efficiency.”
At Champalimaud, Silveira Botelho is hopeful that other healthcare providers will follow its lead. With increasingly stringent environmental legislation and reporting requirements on the way in many countries, it makes good business sense. “The health sector has always thought that it was here to treat patients and so it hardly looked at its environmental impact. That must change,” Silveira Botelho says. “Many illnesses are linked to pollution, from stroke to lung cancer, and so the frontline of patient care should be environmental care. We must act now. Sustainability is fundamental to comprehensive healthcare over the next decade.”
It is certainly hard to forget the importance of the environment in this stunning waterside setting. Correa, the building’s architect – as Silveira Botelho points out – “believed in beauty as therapy”, and his vision is played out at every carved-stone turn. Chemotherapy patients can choose to be treated in a tranquil area outdoors, or indoors by the garden. “This idea of beauty as therapy is crucial in our intensive care unit also, which affords views of the river, the garden, the bridge, or a historic tower,” says Silveira Botelho.
“When people come here, they do not feel they are in a hospital. Our combination of natural light, nature and attention to detail in every part of the patient journey makes the experience different to that anywhere else.”
With change so desperately needed on a global scale, this exceptional approach may one day become the rule.
A patient’s view
“When my doctor informed me that I had stomach cancer, my whole world collapsed and I just wanted to cry. A long-time friend told me that I should have a consultation at Champalimaud.
So I did. A week later I entered the clinic for the first time. My first impression was one of peace and harmony, despite the rainy day. Then there was the smell: you can’t smell the typical hospital odour. Better still was the friendliness of the people who tended to me.
I was referred to surgery, and when I got to my room, I saw through the large window a boat outside and a blue sea I’d never seen before. It was the sea of hope, reflecting the sun of life.
I’m still being followed up, and every time I go there I relive the worst moments of my life, only to be reminded of the best – the friendliness, the recovery and the humane treatment.” Maria P
Find out how Philips is leading the way in innovation to enable healthcare that is connected, inclusive, accessible and sustainable. Where patients and planet are looked after with the same attention and urgency