SAVING MORE LIVES ON WORLD HEALTH DAY

April 7, 2009

SAVING MORE LIVES ON WORLD HEALTH DAY

Following World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Day call, Save lives, make hospitals safe in emergencies, Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA) presented a Philippine version of how to save lives.

According to Merci Ferrer, HCWH-SEA Executive Director, “we do not need to wait for emergencies to make hospitals safer and for it to save lives.”

“This World Health Day, we are encouraging hospitals, concerned government institutions, local government units and medical practitioners to do three simple yet essential plans. One is to move towards a mercury-free hospital,” said Ferrer.

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.

Recently, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) announced that it has completely banned purchase of mercury devices following Department of Health (DoH) Administrative Order 21 on the gradual phase-out of all mercury-containing devices in all Philippine hospitals by 2010.

PhilHealth on the other hand, said that in compliance with AO 21, they will no longer accredit hospitals who continue to use mercury devices.

“Second, we are urging the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release the P100 million fund allocated in the 2008 General Appropriations Act for the purchase of autoclave for 16 government-controlled hospitals.”

Since the use of incinerators to dispose medical wastes has been banned by the 1999 Clean Air Act, autoclave is among the accepted methods to treat waste.


“Finally, we congratulate the more than 39,000 new nurses who are taking their oath today and urge them to be environmentally-responsible nurses.

“This World Health Day calls for the synthesis of good deed between hospitals, government and medical practitioners. With this we hope to make hospitals and the whole health care system a saver of life, not just of its patients but those within its community.

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) is a global coalition of more than 400 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)

Sonia G. Astudillo, Communications Officer, +63 918 9182369, sonia@hcwh.org
Merci Ferrer, Executive Director, + 63 920 9056113, merci@hcwh.org

1 Autoclave uses steam under pressure to treat cultures and stocks, sharps, materials contaminated with blood and limited amounts of fluid, isolation and surgery wastes, laboratory wastes (excluding chemical wastes), and soft waste.