Health care waste team conducts monitoring

SOUTH COTABATO - Health Care Waste Technical Working Group (HCW-TWG) members recently conducted a twoday monitoring of hospitals, clinics and other health care providers to inspect their compliance of the province’s Health Care Waste Management (HCWM) Ordinance.

TWG members composed of representatives from the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO), Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO), Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) and Provincial Information Office (PIO) were assisted by Municipal Environment and Natural Resources officers and sanitary inspectors of the respective LGU where the inspection was conducted in the joint monitoring and inspection.

Health care providers (HCPs) were inspected of their compliance on documents particularly on permits required by government agencies, but with more emphasis on operational requirements such as compliance on the formulation of their respective health care waste management plan and policies, IEC strategies on solid waste management, collection, treatment, storage and disposal practices, waste water treatment facility, among others.

Errant HCPs which have deficiencies on their operational requirements were warned to comply so that they will not be penalized under the HCWM Ordinance upon re-inspection of the HCW-TWG next quarter.

The HCPs inspected in Koronadal City were Dr. Arturo Pingoy Memorial Medical Center, Socomedics, Allah Valley Medical Center and South Cotabato Provincial Hospital.

In the upper valley area, inspected were Norala District Hospital in Norala and Surallah Community Hospital, Lariosa Clinic and Hospital and Upper Valley Community Hospital, all in Surallah.