Dr Iqbal Fahmi: Why did I, a GP, study Healthcare Facilities at BSSC?

Dr Iqbal Fahmi (MD), an alumnus of MSc Healthcare Facilities explains why it is necessary for the healthcare sector to understand the building and management of healthcare facilities.

"I completed my Masters degree at The Bartlett School of Construction (BSSC), UCL in September 2022. I studied the BSSC Healthcare Facilities MSc led by Dr Evangelia Chrysikou at The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. With my background as a GP, it felt bizarre to continue my study at The Bartlett, which is popular among architects and engineers, but that is the most interesting part!

The program was unique because it was the only one in Europe. It's also part of the Bartlett Real Estate Institute (BREI), so half of the modules were about the fundamentals of real estate, such as capital projects, economics and financing, and building systems. Another half explored the health system and services, ranging from primary to tertiary care. Furthermore, I earned the skill set to design and manage environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable healthcare facilities by considering ESG (environment, social, and governance) aspects.

In the future, rapid changes, including climate, demographic, and technological changes, will affect healthcare provision. Therefore, health services must be able to adapt and be resilient to these changes. I decided to focus more on the environmental and climate change aspects of healthcare. Through my dissertation, I calculated greenhouse gas emissions from healthcare facilities in London and searched for solutions to overcome them. With GIS, I offered a potential method to provide less carbon-intensive and more accessible healthcare facilities. Special thanks to Dr Grant Mills, who was a fantastic supervisor.

My appreciation goes to the Indonesia Endowment Funds for Education, for sponsoring me and giving me the opportunity to expand my knowledge. I will be going back to Indonesia and I look forward to more opportunities and exciting discussions about healthcare sustainability in Indonesia."