Manila — Incineration harms. Burn not.
Hospitals today unfurled a black banner expressing their strongest opposition to the planned return of incineration in the country.
These hospitals from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao hang a black banner calling no to the revival of incineration of hospital wastes after several government officials said that incineration is the key to addressing the country’s waste problem.
“As doctors, we want to provide quality and healthy life to our patients. Reviving incineration is a complete contrast to this,” said Dr. Manuel Chua Chiaco Jr., Medical Director of the Philippine Heart Center. “It is a total disregard for the waste management practices of our hospital.”
The hospitals hanging the banner are Philippine Heart Center (Quezon City) and San Lazaro Hospital (Manila). Next week, all 11 hospitals owned, co-owned and administered by St. Paul de Chartres (SPC) Health Care Ministry will join in. These are Dela Salle University (DLSU) Medical Center (Dasmarinas Cavite), General Santos Doctors Hospital (General Santos City), Julio Cardinal Rosales Memorial Hospital (Dalaguete, Cebu), Notre Dame de Chartres Hospital (Baguio City), Our Lady of Peace Hospital (Paranaque City), Perpetual Succor Hospital (Cebu City), St. Joseph Southern Bukidnon Hospital (Maramag, Bukidnon), St. Paul Hospital in Dasmarinas, Cavite, St. Paul’s Hospital in Iloilo City, St. Paul Hospital in Tuguegarao City, and Maria Reyna Xavier University Hospital (Cagayan de Oro City).
Sr. Arcelita Sarnillo of the SPC Health Care Ministry said that “Incineration ban is the best thing that has happened to the country when it comes to waste management.” She added, “The health care sector can attest that there are safe and clean alternatives to incineration.”
In 2004, medical waste incineration was banned in the country following the banning of general waste incineration in 2001 as mandated by the Clean Air Act.
While health care facilities regularly use some of the most toxic substances known to man, solid waste comprises the largest portion of a healthcare facility’s waste (75-80%). “Thru proper waste management such as waste minimization, efficient segregation, green purchasing, re-use, recycling and composting, we can greatly reduce the volume of our waste,” said Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia’s (HCWH-SEA) Merci Ferrer.
Of the remaining 20-25% hazardous waste, only 15-20% are infectious wastes which are commonly raised as an excuse for reviving medical waste incineration. “These can easily be dealt with using alternative technologies which are widely available in the country,” she added.
Among the alternative treatment technologies for treating waste, without burning, are autoclave, microwave, and dry heat treatment technologies.
A good example of proper health care waste management without burning are SPC hospitals who other than reducing the volume of waste even earned money thru recycling programs and composting. In 2009, St. Paul Hospital in Cavite earned Php40,000 from recycling wastes. While St. Paul Hospital in Tuguegarao City earns Php3,500 to 5,000 per month.
“All SPC-owned and administered hospitals in the Philippines are opposed to the return of waste incineration,” said Sr. Sarnillo. “Environmental stewardship is one of the advocacies of SPC Health Care Ministry. Each of our hospitals has worked on their own waste management practices and systems and they all have proven that the hospitals can earn a few extra money from waste segregation and that technologies such as autoclave and microwave are far more effective means of disinfectingg infectious wastes.”
“The Philippine Heart Center has implemented proper waste management in compliance with the law,” said Dr. Chua Chiaco Jr. “It has been very effective and we encourage the government to learn from our example.”
“We also encourage other hospitals to take their stand against the effort to bring back incineration to the country. We have a moral responsibility to our patients and to take care of people’s health. We must not go back to incinerating our wastes,” said Dr. Chua Chiaco Jr.
Health Care Without Harmis an international coalition of more than 500 organizations in 53 countries, working to transform the health care sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment.Visit the HCWH website for more information.