Mercy Health has partnered with Medical Pantry to give a second life to medical equipment and supplies, helping wildlife rescue organisations care for injured and orphaned animals while also reducing medical waste.
Mercy Health recently donated a number of neonatal incubators (humidicribs) and other surplus equipment to Medical Pantry, a Victorian-based charity that diverts ‘expired’, but usable, hospital supplies from landfill and redistributes them to organisations in need — both humanitarian and wildlife rescue.
One of the recipients is wildlife carer Sue Moore in Tarwin Lower, who is using a donated incubator to restore body temperature in a koala joey and provide a safer environment for other injured animals. “I had a big koala that lost its temperature. We were able to put it into the humidicrib and bring its temperature back up,” Ms Moore said.
By giving this equipment a second life, Mercy Health is supporting both wildlife welfare and environmental sustainability. The healthcare sector contributes a significant volume of waste — for example, healthcare’s contribution to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions is cited at around 7%.
This initiative reflects Mercy Health’s commitment to responsible resource usage and community care: not only caring for patients, but also considering our broader ecological and social responsibilities. We’re proud to support Medical Pantry’s mission and through it, empower wildlife carers who often operate with limited resources.
We look forward to continuing partnerships like this, and invite staff, supporters and the wider community to learn more about how surplus or retired medical equipment can make a meaningful difference to those in need.
For more information, read the article or see Medical Pantry’s website.
