Successful workshop involving local stakeholders in Ghent

DiCE, OVAM, and Bebat joined forces ahead of the publication of “Onderzoek rond eenmalige medische apparatuur die batterijen bevat” to bring industry professionals and policymakers together for an interactive workshop and networking event at UZ Gent.

Dutch speaking DiCE stakeholders as well as participants of the Flemish “Green Deal Sustainable Care” were invited by OVAM, the Public Waste Agency in the region of Flanders.

This insightful report commissioned by OVAM and Bebat (expected to be finalised next spring) on disposable medical equipment containing batteries explores where these devices become waste, the type of battery they contain, and the already available information on such equipment becoming waste. After having identified the most common devices, Enadvis researchers proceeded to draw up a detailed analysis with the aim of continuous monitoring of the identified flows.

Similarly, to DiCE, OVAM and Bebat are aiming to focus on selected single use devices and set up dedicated collection logistics in hospitals, dismantling processes to remove batteries and untangling currently complicated and linear supply chains.

Looking at commonalities between the above-mentioned report and DiCE’s core goals, project partners Els Ducheyne (Johnson&Johnson), Tamara Hoveling (TU Delft), Sascha Vermeylen (LiCaLab), and Rene Luigies (Games for Health) headed to Ghent to present DiCE to over 30 people, already invested in fostering a more sustainable approach to healthcare in Belgium.

DiCE Project Partners delved into the fitting question of barriers and opportunities for circular recovery flows from digital health devices and how citizen engagement and nudging strategies can work for digital health applications with live examples all in view of a holistic design for an innovative circular ecosystem for digital health devices.

This collaboration served as a great opportunity to establish synergies between a Europe-wide project and local actors, emphasizing the relevancy of DiCE in the ever-evolving digital health landscape.

Nanett Kalapos
December 11, 2023