City tightens monitoring of hospital waste mgmt
THE CITY Government through the Health Services Office intensified the monitoring of the waste management activities of the five hospitals operating in the City in the wake of the medical waste dumping incident in Tuba town last July.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan last week directed City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo to follow through on the observations and recommendations made as a result of the inspections done on the waste management practices and facilities of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, the Baguio Medical Center, Pines City Doctors Hospital, Notre Dame De Chartres Hospital and SLU Hospital of the Sacred Heart.
The inspections were conducted after mixed hospitals wastes allegedly from the contractor of the BMC were discovered dumped on a lot in Tabaan Norte Barangay in Tuba town resulting to the filing of charges against the contractor for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9003 known as the Solid Waste Management Act, RA 6969 or the Toxic and Hazardous Waste Act and RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
The inspection report submitted by HSO Sanitation Division Chief Engr. Charles Bryan Carame gave descriptions of the
waste management and disposal systems of the five hospitals, observations on the procedure and storage areas and facilities being used and recommendations on the deficiencies and problems noted.
The mayor said the CHSO should make sure that the hospitals will comply with all the recommendations listed in the report.
Galpo instructed Carame to ensure the assigned sanitation inspectors will conduct follow up inspections until the hospitals have complied.
She also ordered the monitoring of the waste disposal systems of small laboratories, funeral parlors and similar establishments.
Based on the report, all the hospitals have engaged the services of private transporter or hauler to dispose of their health care wastes.
The HSO team suggested ways to improve the facilities and for the hospitals to review their contract provisions with their waste transporters specifically on the frequency of hauling to prevent accumulation of the refuse.
“Else, (they should) look into contracting a more reliable transporter,” Carame said.
Carame also recommended that the waste transporters should ensure that their have permits from the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau for their operations.