Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai has become the first medical facility in India and in the entire southern Asian region to earn the Joint Commission International (JCI) Certificate of Distinction in Healthcare Sustainability. It is also only the fifth hospital in the world to be awarded this recognition.
The certification, launched earlier this year in collaboration with the International Hospital Federation’s Geneva Sustainability Centre, recognises hospitals that demonstrate measurable reductions in environmental impact while maintaining high standards of clinical care. The assessment covers areas such as emissions, energy consumption, materials usage and sustainable clinical practices.
At Kokilaben Hospital, several changes contributed to the recognition. High-emission anaesthetic gases used in operating theatres have been replaced with low-emission alternatives. The hospital has also shifted from traditional metered-dose inhalers to low-carbon inhalers that use propellants with significantly lower global-warming potential.
In laboratory operations, the facility has reduced the number of serum tubes used per patient, cutting down plastic waste and the environmental burden linked to chemical disposal. Additional measures include the adoption of turbine-based ventilators, which reduce dependence on energy-intensive air compressors, as well as the installation of LED surgical lights and diagnostic systems that require fewer materials per test.
With this distinction, the hospital has set a benchmark for sustainability in healthcare in India, demonstrating that large medical institutions can integrate environmentally responsible practices into routine clinical operations without compromising on quality.
