Implementing the Singapore Planetary Health Declaration in Practice

In April 2025, at WONCA APR held in Busan, Korea, we organized a workshop themed "Implementing the Singapore Planetary Health Declaration in Practice." This workshop was a follow-up to the adoption of the WONCA Asia Pacific Region Declaration on Planetary Health at WONCA APR Singapore 2024 (August 2024), aiming to move the conversation in the Asia-Pacific region from “Why should we act?” to “How should we act?” through evolutionary action.

Workshop Structure and Progress

The workshop brought together about 20 participants, including family physicians, educators, and leaders from the Asia-Pacific region. Held in a World Café format, it opened with a keynote on the role of primary care in planetary health and concluded with an international review session.

Discussion Topics and Practical Proposals (Key Points from Each Group):

• Topic 1: Sustainable Clinical Practice in Primary Care
  ・Minimize unnecessary prescriptions, tests, and medical waste.
  ・Promote energy efficiency, reuse, and support patient lifestyle improvements.
• Topic 2: Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles Through Patient Collaboration
  ・Encourage sustainable diets and active transportation together with patients.
  ・Foster environmental awareness through sleep hygiene and effective use of digital/community platforms.
• Topic 3: Recommendations and Leadership Roles for Primary Care Physicians
  ・Integrate planetary health into education and policy, collaborating with NGOs and associations.
  ・Leverage networks and physician leadership to drive planetary health initiatives.
• Topic 4: Integrating "Health for the Planet" into Chronic Disease Management
  ・Reduce environmental impact by optimizing medication and plastic use.
  ・Support sustainable chronic care through lifestyle education and telemedicine.
• Topic 5: Pharmaceuticals and the Environment
  ・Limit unnecessary prescriptions and educate about medicines’ environmental impacts.
  ・Promote eco-friendly drugs and advocate for improved pharmaceutical waste management.
• Topic 6: Designing Low-Carbon Care Pathways
  ・Apply 5R principles and digital health to cut medical waste and energy use.
  ・Promote preventive care, patient education, and low-carbon transportation options.
• Topic 7: Empowering Interprofessional Collaboration for Sustainability
  ・Share best practices and strengthen cooperation through community and digital engagement.
  ・Position family physicians as key coordinators of interprofessional and community action.
• Topic 8: “Micro-Education” for Patients – Integrating Planetary Health into Daily Clinical Practice
  ・Deliver brief, practical planetary health messages in consultations.
  ・Integrate recycling and sustainable lifestyle education into routine care.

Outcomes and Future Directions

This workshop was significant in that family doctors from various countries co-created concrete actions to realize the Planetary Health Declaration, sharing practical first steps that can be started in daily practice. Moving forward, it is essential to promote and evaluate these actions at the regional and national levels, and to foster ongoing evolution through the exchange of international insights.

Workshop Members

Organizer: Takafumi Sasaki (Japan)
Co-Organizer: Ming-Nan Lin (Taiwan)
Facilitators: Karen Flegg (WONCA President, Australia),
Özden Gökdemir (WONCA Planetary Health WP chair, Turkey, by video message),
Senthil Jayaprakasam (United Kingdom),
Mariko Iwagami (Japan),
Sora Matsuda (Japan),
Michelle Reyes (Philippines),
Maria Banoey (Philippines),
Kazumi Ohishi (Japan, pharmacist)

Download the WONCA Asia Pacific Region Declaration on Planetary Health (Singapore Declaration) 2024

Author: Dr Takafumi Sasaki (Japan)
WONCA Working Party on Planetary Health