Healthcare Services Employees’ Union and Centre for Healthcare Innovation launch a new WSQ-accredited programme to help healthcare professionals apply practical sustainability actions in their day-to-day work.
When NTUC LearningHub, through its Healthcare Academy, began a pilot sustainability course for Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) leaders in October 2024, the goal was to introduce sustainability concepts and help union leaders start influencing workplace practices.
According to the World Economic Forum, healthcare contributes around 4 per cent of global carbon emissions; more than the shipping and aviation sectors.
In Singapore, the healthcare sector remains a significant carbon emitter. A study by a global non-governmental organisation found that Singapore ranked second among 68 countries assessed.
On 3 February 2026, the HSEU took the initiative to lower carbon emissions a step further.
At the Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI), NTUC LearningHub ran the first Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Understanding Sustainability for Business (Healthcare) course, which is open to all healthcare professionals.
HSEU worked with CHI to pivot to a WSQ-accredited programme that is relevant across job roles in the healthcare sector, from clinicians to administrators and frontline staff.
HSEU President K Thanaletchimi said the goal was to translate sustainability into daily practice for workers. To do that, she said, the course needs to go beyond union leadership.
“As a responsible union, we have to do something. We are collaborating with the management to see how we can cascade sustainability into actionable items for the workers to practice and understand,” she said.
Ms Thanaletchimi added that while the pilot has had three sessions in 2024 and 2025 for about 70 union leaders, it is only a fraction of the healthcare workforce in Singapore.
“As healthcare professionals, we cannot just be bystanders … The best thing to do is go for WSQ. That means you will be recognised at the national level,” Ms Thanaletchimi said.
For CHI Clinical Director and Sustainability Academy Co-Lead Wong Hon Tym, the topic became personal when he considered the waste produced by routine clinical care.
Assoc Prof Wong, an ophthalmologist, shared that a simple 15-minute cataract surgery in any hospital can generate 3.5 kilograms of waste.
“All of that waste that cannot be recycled goes to incineration,” he said.
He also highlighted a gap between personal concern for sustainability and workplace capability.
“When we [CHI] did a survey, we found that 98 per cent of them were very pro-environment. But I think over almost 50 per cent of them said, ‘I don’t have the tools and the knowledge to do it at work.’”
He added that the COVID-19 period intensified the sector’s reliance on single-use items and personal protective equipment.
“But now that COVID is mostly over, that hasn’t fully dialled down our own attitude for that as well,” he added.
This is where CHI’s Sustainability Academy has focused its efforts, using familiar improvement tools and healthcare examples to make sustainability efforts easier.
For the new WSQ course, Assoc Prof Wong said CHI contributed real case studies to make sustainability efforts tangible and relevant to different job roles.
Beyond training, the partners also signalled a focus on practical workplace follow through.
SingHealth Community Hospitals and Environmental Sustainability COO Tan Tai Kiat gave a preview of the Eco-Checker, which involves cross-institution visits to observe practices in both clinical and non-clinical areas.
The Eco-Checker includes a template for healthcare teams to guide what they observe at work, from switching off lights in common areas to checking recycling behaviour, and identifying where sustainability can be improved in practical ways.
Dr Tan also invited HSEU union leaders and members to contribute inputs to the Eco-Checker, learn from different departments, and help normalise sustainability as part of the daily work culture.
Participants of the Inaugural WSQ Understanding Sustainability for Business (Healthcare) course on 3 February 2026.
Beyond classroom learning, the partners also underscored the importance of follow through and workplace culture.
HSEU Executive Secretary Steven Goh said that sustained progress depends on mindset as much as knowledge.
“The word culture stood out very prominently because without the culture, without the mindset of sustainability, it’s really very difficult to move anything,” he said.
Mr Goh hopes participants will build on the course by forming a network that supports sustainability action across different levels and job roles.
He added that the union will work across all three healthcare clusters to champion sustainability.
“We aim to form a partnership with CHI, together with our union leaders, to kickstart projects to identify common pain points and come up with solutions.”
If you or your company need a free sustainability diagnostic toolkit, or interested in the NTUC Company Training Committee grant, reach out to the Healthcare Services Employees' Union at hseu@ntuc.org.sg.
Click here for more information or to sign up for the WSQ Understanding Sustainability for Business (Healthcare).
