CUF awarded at the International Hospital Federation Awards

CUF was awarded an Honourable Mention at the 9th International Hospital Federation Awards, held last night during the 47th World Hospital Congress, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The project "Hospital Sterilisation Centre - a new paradigm for water sustainability" was among the 49 finalists from around the world, selected from over 500 entries from 37 countries. 

The award-winning project optimises the use of water in sterilisation processes, known for the high consumption of this resource. The project is composed of three phases: water reuse in the osmosis process, optimisation of washing cycles and reuse in the thermal disinfection phase for pre-washing.

This project, with regular monitoring by certified laboratories, has made it possible to save 145,000 litres of water per month and to reduce the consumption of this resource by about 15%. In practice, this means that CUF's Sterilisation Centre project saves the equivalent of close to 100,000 1.5L bottles of water monthly. 

The International Hospital Federation Awards, promoted by the International Hospital Federation (IHF), are acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards in the health sector. These awards highlight hospitals and organisations’ innovation in projects that aim to improve healthcare delivery, also promoting best practices and knowledge sharing at international level. The assessment process is rigorously conducted by a committee of 44 senior leaders and executives from the global health sector.

The "Hospital Sterilisation Centre - a new paradigm for water sustainability" project received the award in the "Ashikaga-Nikken Excellence Award for Low-Carbon Healthcare" category, competing with hospitals from India, Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Costa Rica and Belgium. 

The implementation of this project increased the water efficiency of the Sterilisation Centre and contributed to reducing the environmental footprint of the CUF network. In addition, it has also allowed new scientific advances in knowledge about greener sterilisation processes to be developed and has strengthened the promotion of the sustainability culture in the company.