NUH pharmacies go plastic bag-free, patients to bring their own

Patients collecting medication from the National University Hospital (NUH) pharmacies from Nov 1, will have to bring their own bags as the hospital adopts more sustainable efforts.

In a Facebook post on Monday (Oct 26), it said plastic bags will "no longer be routinely issued or sold" at their pharmacies , encouraging patients to bring reusable bags, adding that this was contributing "towards a greener, more sustainable future".

Patients who forget to bring their own can also find donated bags at racks outside some pharmacies.

Reusable bags will also be available for purchase at NUH's retail pharmacy outlets, Health & U, the post said.

NUH is the first hospital in the world to receive the Healthcare Sustainability Certificate, according to its website.

The recognition was awarded by Joint Commission International (JCI) in collaboration with the Geneva Sustainability Centre (GSC) of the International Hospital Federation.

The certificate was conferred May 2025 and is effective until May 2028.

NUH has since been able to cut plastic use by over 50 per cent by phasing out the use of small plastic bags.

With the phasing out of plastic bags starting November as well as other efforts, it also aims to achieve a 60 per cent recycling rate by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2045.

swetha.sundararajan@asiaone.com

从 11 月 1 日起，前往新加坡国立大学医院 (NUH) 药房取药的患者必须自带购物袋，因为该医院正在采取更可持续的措施。

周一（10 月 26 日），该药房在 Facebook 上发帖称，将“不再常规发放或出售”塑料袋，鼓励患者自带可重复使用的购物袋，并补充说，这将有助于“迈向更绿色、更可持续的未来”。

忘记自带购物袋的患者也可以在一些药店外的架子上找到捐赠的购物袋。

帖子中还提到，新加坡国立大学医院的零售药房 Health & U 也将出售可重复使用的购物袋。

据其官网显示，新加坡国立大学医院是全球首家获得医疗保健可持续发展认证的医院。

该奖项由国际联合委员会 (JCI) 与国际医院联盟日内瓦可持续发展中心 (GSC) 联合颁发。

该证书于 2025 年 5 月颁发，有效期至 2028 年 5 月。

新加坡国立大学医院通过逐步淘汰小塑料袋的使用，已成功将塑料使用量减少了 50% 以上。

从 11 月开始逐步淘汰塑料袋以及其他措施，该国还计划到 2030 年实现 60% 的回收率，到 2045 年实现净零排放。

swetha.sundararajan@asiaone.com