Environmental Health News: Hospitals Urged to Complete Mercury Phase-Out

Manila - An environmental group urged hospitals, both public and private, on Friday to complete their phase-out of mercury-containing medical devices as the deadline looms for its complete elimination by September as earlier stipulated in the Department of Health (DoH) Administrative Order 2008-0021.

At the same time, the Health Care without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCHW-SEA) released a ‘Green Health Covenant’ that urges presidential candidates to support a mercury-free Philippine health care system.

“We do not want another mercury poisoning incident. Let us choose better lives and choose the best candidates,” Faye Ferrer, HCHW-SEA Program officer said, in a conference held at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) Friday.