WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS MERCURY PHASE-OUT IN HEALTH CARE, OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS URGED TO FOLLOW SUIT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 27, 2008

Contact:

Sonia G. Astudillo, Communications Officer, + 63 918 9182369, sonia@hcwh.org

Faye Ferrer, Program Officer for Mercury, + 63 920 9327151, faye@hcwh.org

WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS MERCURY PHASE-OUT IN HEALTH CARE, OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS URGED TO FOLLOW SUIT

Manila - Health Care Without Harm (HCWH)-Southeast Asia commends the World Medical Association (WMA) for unanimously passing a resolution calling for the phase-out of mercury in health care and urges health professional organizations in the Southeast Asian region to follow suit.

“WMA’s support is showing all hospitals and health care facilities around the world that this is doable and that eventually this is the way to go to for all health care systems,” said Faye Ferrer, HCWH-SEA Program Officer for Mercury, referring to WMA Resolution signed at the General Assembly in Seoul, Korea in October.

“The resolution cited that although the initial rationale for instituting voluntary mercury replacement initiatives is for occupational and environmental safety, ultimately the motive will be financial considerations,” Ferrer added.

She explained that mercury-free alternatives are “so much cheaper once mercury clean-up costs are taken into consideration.”

WMA’s resolution recommended global, regional/national and local strategies to reduce both supply and demand of mercury in the health care sector. r global strategy, WMA and member national medical associations are urged to advocate for the United Nations (UN) and individual governments to voluntarily cooperate in the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Mercury Programme.

For regional and national strategies, national medical associations are encouraged to advocate for government support to reduce risk related to mercury in the environment.

“A good example of a national initiative is that of the Philippines’ Department of Health (DoH) Administrative Order 21 mandating the gradual phase-out of all mercury containing devices in all hospitals and health care facilities by 2010,” said Ferrer.

The AO signed in August 11, 2008 mandates all hospitals to immediately discontinue the distribution of mercury thermometers in the patient’s admission/discharge kits and follow the guidelines for the gradual phase-out of mercury in two years.

Physicians, on the other hand, are encouraged to take the lead role in the local strategy by eliminating mercury-containing products in their offices, ensuring that local hospitals and medical facilities have a plan to identify mercury sources in their workplace and a commitment to phase-out mercury containing devices and switch to alternatives.

“The resolution looks simple but it will take support from all stakeholders to make it work,” said Ferrer.

“For our part, HCWH-SEA will continue to work with national medical associations in the region and urge them to take the lead in the mercury phase-out.”

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that affects the nervous system. It is fatal when inhaled and harmful if absorbed through the skin. High doses of vapors released by thermometer breakage may cause lung damage. While at lower doses it is harmful to the kidney and the nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems.

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) is a global coalition of 473 organizations in more than 50 countries working to protect health by reducing pollution in health care sector. For more information, visit www.noharm.org. (30)

Copy of the resolution may be downloaded at:

http://www.noharm.org/globalsoutheng.