KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia Ministry of Health (MOH) is intensifying its push towards sustainability by piloting renewable energy projects through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) at select healthcare facilities in the Klang Valley.
The initiatives, announced by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni at the Green Healthcare Facilities Conference 2025, form part of a broader strategy to embed climate resilience, resource efficiency, and sustainability into the nation’s healthcare operations.
“These are not one-off projects but long-term investments in a sustainable health system,” Lukanisman said during his keynote address at the conference, themed From Vision to Action: Shaping the Future of a Green and Healthy Environment.
Key among the new efforts is the establishment of the Centre for Healthcare Engineering Brilliance, Research and Innovation (BRAIN), as well as a drive to replace conventional materials with biodegradable alternatives to support the circular economy.
The conference also saw the attendance of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Health Director-General Datuk Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan.
Lukanisman urged the healthcare sector to move beyond minimum compliance standards and embrace bold leadership in sustainable design, critical system operations, technical workforce development, and community engagement.
“A healthy planet is essential for healthy people. We must lead by example to drive systemic change,” he told delegates. “If the health sector acts with courage, others will follow.”
In his reflection on the MOH’s Sustainability Program 2015–2025, Lukanisman outlined accomplishments like hospitals implementing energy management systems, obtaining green building certifications, improving indoor air quality, and putting in place a thorough waste management plan founded on the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
He credited these milestones to the collective effort of MOH staff, engineers, healthcare professionals, and private sector partners.
In 2023, the ministry took a major step by launching the Carbon Neutral Healthcare Facilities Blueprint, offering healthcare providers a framework to integrate renewable energy, boost water efficiency, and strengthen waste management practices as part of nationwide decarbonization efforts.
Malaysia’s healthcare sector, Lukanisman noted, is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 — five years ahead of the country’s national net-zero emissions goal.
He also stressed the urgent links between climate change and public health, warning that rising temperatures, extreme weather events, water shortages, and air pollution increasingly threaten healthcare systems and vulnerable communities.
“The healthcare sector globally accounts for almost five per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. As we heal patients, we must also heal the environment. This is the paradox we must confront — and the reason why our actions now are so crucial,” he said.
