Eco-Friendly Initiatives At The B.D. Petit Parsee General Hospital
In line with the concerns of the global community about Climate Change, the present management and the CEO of The B.D. Petit Parsee General Hospital – Dr. (Lt. Gen) M. Ganguly, VSM – has taken several initiatives in the last couple of years, to make PGH a sustainable, environment-friendly hospital. These include:
Use of Renewable Energy: Use of Solar Powered Geysers and the maximum available flat rooftop space of 2 buildings of PGH, to install Solar Panels to generate Solar Energy. The latter has been done with the CSR help of Sterling & Wilson Solar. This has reduced both – the carbon footprint and the electricity bills of the hospital.
Natural Composting of Green Waste: from the kitchen and garden and use of only this organic manure has improved the quality and quantity of the topsoil. No animal manure or chemical fertilizer has been bought over the last few years.
Increasing Green Cover: When CEO Dr. (Lt. Gen) M. Ganguly joined 3 years ago, a large, barren, rocky, parcel of land within the Hospital, was painstakingly converted into an urban, organic Kitchen-garden. The organically grown vegetables are used only for the patients. This especially came handy during the lockdown and continues to provide natural nutritional supplements in the patients’ diet. For growing this, the hospital is using its own composted manure and home-made bio-enzyme, in lieu of pesticides.
Fruit Trees: Other barren parcels of land within PGH compound have been directed by the CEO, to plant fruit trees, from fruits consumed. These fruit grown organically, including papayas, bananas etc. are given to the patient. Since these plants have a limited lifespan, the 2nd and 3rd generation plants are now growing and propagating. Fruit trees like Mango, Guava, Coconut, Citrus, Custard apple etc, have been planted along the boundaries and should bear fruit in a few years.
Empowering The ‘Lungs Of The City’: The iconic PGH gardens are being further enhanced for patients to breathe unpolluted, oxygen-rich air, in the sylvan surroundings and get free naturopathy to improve their lungs and circulation. This increased greening of the hospital campus has reinforced the ‘lungs of the city’ and the fight against global warming.
Saving Water: Apart from natural rainwater harvesting in the vast garden, the hospital has set up an STP/ETP (Sewage/Effluent treatment plant) at PGH, to recycle all the waste-water. With this, 90% of all the waste-water is recovered and recycled for use in toilets and garden (thus recharging the underground aquifers also). This initiative (funded by donations), along with rainwater harvesting, ensures that PGH is contributing in a big way to save water.
RUCO (Repurposed Used Cooking Oil) Certification: Being environmentally conscious, PGH is the first Hospital to be RUCO certified, last year, whereby all waste oil is collected from the kitchen and given for repurposing into Biodiesel. This further reduces the carbon footprint of the hospital, as also prevents this waste oil from being discarded into the drains, from where it eventually would end up in the sea and affect marine life.
Repurposing Old Wood / Furniture: All the beams from demolished old buildings have been carefully preserved for years and this seasoned wood is being reused to replace all the old moisture-ravaged doors, windows and frames of the hospital, as part of the current major ongoing renovations. All vintage furniture donated to the hospital has been put to use in the hospital, thus practicing a circular economy.
Kudos to PGH for being arguably the most enviro-conscious hospital in the country and contributing its maximum in the fight against climate change!
