Dispatch
The Doctor Trying to Cure Medicine’s Addiction to Disposables
The global healthcare system is built on throwaway gowns, plastic and instruments. Forbes McGain is finding solutions to cut down on waste — and save money.
Illustration: Isabella Cotier for Bloomberg
Just steps from the operating theaters at Melbourne’s Footscray Hospital, a storeroom holds a quiet rebellion against medical waste. Stacked neatly on wire racks are bundles of surgical gowns and drapes — some wrapped in pale blue disposable plastic, others in washable fabric that’s made to last.
The difference seems small, but to critical-care doctor and anesthesiologist Forbes McGain, the latter pile signals a hospital daring to push back against the tide of single-use items pervasive in healthcare.