- Quezon City, Metro Manila
The Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC)- Health Emergency Management Staff (HEMS) Coordinator initiated the move to shift to mercury alternatives. They first conducted information and awareness lectures on the hazards of mercury and then stopped use and procurement of mercury thermometers and replaced it with safer alternatives in the Out-Patient Division, Emergency Room and wards. The Pediatric Dentistry, likewise, veered away from using amalgam for dental filling.
The seminar conducted by Health Care Without Harm and AO 21 also helped in pushing for safer mercury alternatives.
However, there were problems on funding, accuracy and disposal which were later solved by justifying the reasons for the shift to mercury alternatives and collecting information and studies on the accuracy of non-mercurial devices. Final disposal remains an issue.
The main reason for the shift are the hazards and long-term complications posed by chronic mercury exposure to hospital personnel and the patients.
Five years from now, PCMC aims to be the premier hospital for children providing mercury-free health care.