info@nhl.co.ug
Nakasero Hospital ESG Strategy
Background
Nakasero Hospital was founded in 2013 with an overriding objective of providing quality health care to all Ugandans and in so doing enable Ugandans receive health services in country that they would have ordinarily traveled abroad to receive.
In line with this objective, the hospital intended to work with the community in better understanding the services they offer and ensuring these services are reaching the vast majority of Ugandans.
The hospital intended to ensure the pricing of these services is reasonable but also provide social relief to those that cannot afford by way of corporate social responsibility.
Mission
Our Mission is to provide quality, sustainable, compassionate health care by leveraging local and international talent and state-of-the-art technology.
Vision
Our Vision is to be a world-class tertiary medical care hospital.
Tagline
Quality care with Compassion
What is ESG
ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. ESG is an opportunity to evaluate and develop goals that will positively impact the environment, improve the social impact a company has on the community it operates in and the people it employs, and shows how the company is delivering on these goals
In case of businesses, this is increasingly becoming a major criteria used to screen investments based on corporate policies and to encourage companies to act responsibly.
ESG is premised on sustainability aimed at promoting the responsible use and eventual preservation of particular resources. The four key pillars of sustainability are; human, social, economic and environmental.
Participation
• Nakasero Hospital recently signed up to the United Nations Global Compact-the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative whose mission is to call on companies to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption and take actions that advance societal goals.
• This strategy of the UN Global Compact is to drive business awareness and action in support of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
• There is an expectation to submit an annual Communication on Progress (COP) report each year in May showcasing our impact in as far as sustainability is concerned. It is a requirement for our continued participation on such a global stage. Our membership can be viewed by all organisations intending to do business with us and would find this a favorable aspect of our business operations.
Historical Impact
Over the years, Nakasero Hospital has been involved in giving back to the community through a number of initiatives that resonate with the community in which we are set up but also stepping out of our local setting to interact with other communities.
A lot of these activities have focused on the Social and Governance aspects of ESG with little involvement in the Environmental aspect of this program. Some of the key highlights include;
• Participation in key social gatherings to provide free or highly subsidized care to the public
• Conduct free restoration procedures on vulnerable people in society to return their pride
• Conduct blood donation drives to encourage the giving of this very critical resource
• 
Undertaking a comprehensive corporate governance strategy to managing the affairs of the institution.
In this Section
Patients & Visitors
Impact today
Over the last 4 years, the hospital has supported two charities with medication(Nyaka Children’s Charity) and free treatment support for the beneficiaries(Rahab Uganda).
We have also participated in a number of events promising free health check services to the public. These organisations look after vulnerable people in society and our support has provided much needed relief.
Impact going forward-Plastic Recycling
Problem
Proper disposal of waste is a key aspect of responsible co-existence within society. A lot of businesses generate waste of all nature and a hospital of our size is no stranger to this. Some of the waste we generate is very harmful to humans and the environment ,if carelessly disposed of.
Solution
In collaboration with Coca-Cola, we intend to have all the plastic waste in the hospital segregated at different points, weighed and sold to Coca-Cola for onward recycling to make products such as pavers and other plastic bottles.
Impact
This will ensure that we are not adding more non-degradable waste to the landfill that is fast filling up and eventually clogs the grains system and contaminates the water sources. We intend to recycle ……Kgs of plastic waste per month.
Impact going forward-Renewable Energy
Problem
The cost of electricity and diesel energy is continuously on the rise and for a business that like ours, that can become a show stopper in as far as sustainable management of this business is concerned. This would lead to increase in service charges thus eliminating so many people that need the care but cannot afford it. Our current expenditure on electricity and generator diesel is Ugx. 60m and Ugx. 5m per month respectively.
Solution
Install enterprise level solar system to provide a significant amount of renewable energy to the facility and a much lower cost per month. There are CAPEX free options on the market that can be considered.
We intend to install energy saving technology that would keep lights off in unoccupied rooms to further supplement the solar system.
Impact
Our carbon footprint will drop significantly given the reduced spend on diesel but also save a lot of money that we would have spent on buying diesel whose price keeps fluctuating. Our ambition is to save about 20% on our energy costs per month.
Impact going forward-Water Harvesting
Problem
The costs incurred by the hospital continue to rise and it is our responsibility to look for ways to mitigate this rise. The cost of water will continue to rise given the permanent requirement of this resource within the hospital.
Solution
Given the abundant rainfall we receive in the country, we intend to install water harvesting tanks to supplement the NWSC supply. This is planned for the new facility and will commence in the year 2023.
Impact
This is meant to reduce the cost of the NWSC supply costs especially during the rainy season. We shall have tanks with a capacity of 40,000 litres which will save us a good amount of money especially during the rainy season.
Impact going forward-Water Harvesting
Problem
The costs incurred by the hospital continue to rise and it is our responsibility to look for ways to mitigate this rise. The cost of water will continue to rise given the permanent requirement of this resource within the hospital.
Solution
Given the abundant rainfall we receive in the country, we intend to install water harvesting tanks to supplement the NWSC supply. This is planned for the new facility and will commence in the year 2023.
Impact
This is meant to reduce the cost of the NWSC supply costs especially during the rainy season. We shall have tanks with a capacity of 40,000 litres which will save us a good amount of money especially during the rainy season.
Impact going forward-Community Engagement
Problem
The society we live in is characterized with rampant inequality and this leaves a huge number of fellow citizens in a position where they cannot afford the basic needs of life. As a responsible business, it is an expectation to exercise social responsibility to such situations and help out in ways that will have an impact in the lives of these people. According to the UBOS 2020 Statistical Abstract Report, 21.4% of Ugandans are below the poverty line and a huge majority of these are in the urban areas.
Solution
A hospital of our size should be able to offer support to such groups of people through provision of free basic services to the most vulnerable.
• We intend to conduct medical camps in remote areas of the city to offer free checks and treatment to the most marginalized members of society on a quarterly basis with a view to reach at least 300 people per quarter.
• We also intend to re-energise our support of free medicine to the orphans that are under the care of Nyaka Children’s charity with an average of 4,000 consultations per year to further enable these stay healthy.
• We also intend to review our partnership with Rahab Uganda to assess its impact for the years we have had it. This will enable us sent some benchmarks for our support to ensure it is having some impact on community.
Impact
Our community investments should enable many more under privileged individuals and children access credible healthcare through the various channels of support we offer which include free health camps, free medication and free treatment.
Impact going forward-Anti-Corruption
Problem
Uganda is ranked high on the list of the countries with high prevalence of corruption in both the public and private sector. As a corporate body, Nakasero Hospital is bound to suffer from this malpractice of preventive measures are not enforced and followed through. It is evident that these practices exist in the institution given the number of dismissals for fraud over the last 4 years.
Solution
• Undertake a whistleblower policy that will provide unsolicited anonymous reports of such incidents to open the doors for investigation.
• Training of staff on malpractice issues and punitive measures for the same
• Develop and display the anticorruption policy on all official communication channels and within the hospital.
Impact
Our transparency on these vices will create much more goodwill for our partners to continue to work with us knowing we adhere to the highest standards of ethical business which should lead to more business opportunities for the institution.
