"The NHS in Scotland has become the first national health agency in the UK to stop using an anesthetic with a high global warming potential. Desflurane, used as an anesthetic during surgery, has the potential to cause global warming 2,500 times," the Scottish government said today. It was stated that with this ban, an emission equivalent to the energy used by 1,700 houses per year was prevented.

Medically Safe And Safe Alternatives Will Be Used

Underlining that this step is the first action of the National Green Hospitals Program, it was stated that alternative anesthetic agents that are less harmful to the environment, medically appropriate and safe will be used instead of Desflurane in the surgeries. Kenneth Barker, Clinical Leader of the Program, said the following about this step;

“Hospitals are carbon- and energy-intensive areas that generate large amounts of waste; therefore reducing the environmental impact of hospitals will make a positive difference in meeting Scotland's net zero (carbon dioxide emissions) targets.”