Malaysia leadership take on health and environment

Malaysia’s general elections on 5 May 2013 saw the existing government being re-elected, much to the chagrin of many who wanted a change in the government, seeking reformation and true democracy.

In the past, Malaysia’s development agenda was primarily driven by economic growth, with the government aiming to be a high-income country. New ministers have been appointed but we foresee that the development policies would remain the same with the Prime Minister pushing for the Economic Transformation Programme, launched on September 2010.

We fear of the price that has to be paid by us and the future generation in Malaysia’s pursuit to become a recognizable, developed nation of international standing. Is this what Malaysians really want? Is material wealth or living in a high-income country what we aim for in life? What about our health and well-being?

Rapid modernization and unsustainable development in the past have led to the exploitation and abuse of the environment in Malaysia. Hazardous industries pollute the air and water sources whilst forests are indiscriminately cleared for development or industrial agriculture, hence leaving the environment devastated.

In most cases, the destruction of the environment affects the livelihood and health of communities. Industrial chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, heavy metals are prevalent in our environment, bodies, food, air and water.

Environmental health problems in Malaysia are mostly attributed to atmospheric pollution, water pollution, climate change, waste management and disposal comprising of solid, toxic and hazardous waste.

Sadly, Malaysia's approaches to environmental management through policy and legal measures had not evolved from a mandate to afford the public with a right to clean air, water and a liveable environment. Rather, they emerge more out of a response to intolerable environmental conditions.

We do have substantial legal and policy initiatives that require proper consideration and action towards protecting the environment. However without a real commitment to strictly enforce laws and properly apply sound principles across the environmental landscape, Malaysia will continue to be at risk to pollution and the loss of its natural identity.

There is also a problem of general lack of transparency in decision-making and frequent high-handedness demonstrated towards the concerns of ordinary folk who dare to question development at the cost of health and the environment.

Although there are parts of the civil service who genuinely understand the practical common sense of integrating environment with development, sadly, the overriding perception among policy makers is that environmental concerns are an impediment to progress. Sometimes they even condemn communities opposing destructive projects as barriers to economic progress. This has forced many affected communities to seek international attention or legal redress.

Our angle of vision needs to shift from skyscrapers to observing what is happening closer to the ground in nature and in the everyday lives of Malaysians struggling with the consequences of development gone awry. At this more humble level await insights which question not just our quality of life but also the quality, nature and meaning of the journey towards modern development.

What is needed is a strong political will to address the issues of environmental health degradation and an environmentally and socially conscious public to push for concrete changes! For our own sake and the sake of our future generations, we must start to act responsibly before the momentum of irreversible changes overwhelms us.

(Partly extracted from paper jointly prepared by Sahabat Alam Malaysia & Consumers' Association of Penang)

Mageswari Sangaralingam currently works as Consultant for Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP). HCWH-Asia partners with both SAM and CAP.

HCWH-SEA is now Asia

The year 2012 was a great year for us and the people whose lives we hope have touched. We have expanded our campaigns. The mercury campaign was expanded, and is now the Safer Chemicals program which now includes other hazardous chemicals in the health care setting. The Medical Waste campaign has ventured into a deeper look at the Philippine Health Care Waste Management Manual and continuously worked with the Anti-Incineration Road (AIR) Show (a collaboration between Philippine-based NGOs Ecowaste Coaliton (Ecowaste), and Mother Earth Foundation (MEF), and the international group Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives/Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance (GAIA) in the Philippines. Our office staff has expanded in numbers too.

2013 promises to be an even more exciting and at the same time a challenging year for us. We do not only celebrate a decade of meaningful years of work, we are also expanding the advocacy for environmental health in the whole Asian region.

We are now HCWH-Asia.

Asia region is the most diverse culturally, the one with the fastest growing economies and where several mega cities are situated. The cause for health and the environment should be the norm in this growing and dynamic region, as it should be too globally.

This year and in the coming years ahead, we hope to highlight more the encompassing issue of climate change and how it relates to other equally crucial issues such as toxic chemicals, improper health care waste management, burning of wastes, unsustainable infrastructure and how it impacts on our health and the environment.

This year, we go full blast in engaging hospitals to be part of the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals. GGHH is a global network and a movement of hospitals and health care systems that practices 10 interrelated goals: leadership, chemicals, waste, energy, water, transportation, food, pharmaceuticals, building and purchasing.

We call on private and public health care systems, hospitals and clinics to be part of this dynamic movement. We strongly believe and trust our partners in the government, international government and non-government groups, academe, scientists, donors, supporters, and other stakeholders that they will continue to be with us in this important work that we are doing.

We invite you to be part of our 10-10-13. Ten goals, ten years in 2013.

To our partners, supporters and friends, you all are a big part of HCWH Asia’s growth, substance and success.

Let’s continue the advocacy and the collaboration.

You ALL ROCK!

Merci Ferrer, HCWH-Asia Director

HCWH welcomes DOH move towards a mercury-free RP health system

August 22, 2008

HEALTH CARE WITHOUT HARM WELCOMES DOH MOVE TOWARDS A MERCURY-FREE RP HEALTH SYSTEM

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH)-Southeast Asia commends the Department of Health (DOH) for the recent signing of Administrative Order (AO) 2008-0021 that will phase-out the use of mercury devices in all health care facilities in the Philippines over the next two years.

“We welcome this move from the DOH. By taking this step the Philippines is playing a leadership role in the world-wide effort to eliminate mercury in health care. [i] HCWH will make sure that the AO is fully implemented, until all mercury-containing devices--including sphygmomanometers-- are phased-out by 2010,” said Faye Ferrer, HCWH-SEA Program Coordinator for Mercury.

HCWH-SEA originally crafted the AO which mandates the gradual phase-out of thermometers, sphygmomanometers and other mercury-containing devices. The work in the Philippines is part of an international campaign led by HCWH and others to eliminate mercury in health care globally over the next decade.

The AO signed last week mandates all hospitals to immediately discontinue the distribution of mercury thermometers in the patient’s admission/discharge kits. Further, it requires all hospitals to follow the guidelines for the gradual phase-out of mercury in two years. [ii]

“With this Administrative order we are pleased that the DOH is committed to phasing-out not just the mercury thermometers but sphygmomanometers and all the other mercury-containing devices,” Ferrer added.

“The challenge for us and the Health Department is to make it happen and to make it happen within the specified two years,” she pointed out.

Ferrer said that even before the signing of the AO, more than fifty hospitals in the Philippines have either phased-out or is in the process of phasing-out mercury, first of these is the Philippine Heart Center (PHC).

According to Carmencita Lingan, Nurse at PHC, “the shift to mercury alternatives is doable, affordable and is economically-feasible.”

“This for us is the true essence of providing health care—a health care that is safe to the people and less toxic to the environment,” she added.

Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) president, Dr. Leah Pacquiz, on the other hand commends the signing of the AO saying this will make the health care system safe not just to the patients but to nurses and other health workers.

“The promotion of public safety is a key policy goal of Philippine nursing and we welcome this move of the DOH,” Pacquiz pointed out.

Sis. Arcelita Sarnillo, Administrator of St. Paul Hospital in Cavite added that the AO will make it easier for all hospitals to make the “necessary shift” from mercury devices to non-mercury alternatives. “With the AO and support from the government, we expect the shift to be done without delay.”

Ferrer, on the other hand pointed out that HCWH has worked with hospitals in other Asian countries, the US, the European Union, and Latin America to make the switch from mercury thermometers and other equipments that use mercury to mercury-free alternatives. “In the US you can’t buy a mercury thermometer anymore, and blood pressure devices are on their way out. Europe just banned mercury thermometers, and the city of Buenos Aires, one of the largest health care systems in Latin America is almost totally mercury-free.” [iii]

HCWH-SEA pledged to work closely with the DOH in providing support to hospitals around the country on its switch to an environmentally-friendly health care system.

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.

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[i] In 2005, World Health Organization issued a policy paper with a 3-pronged short, medium and long-term measures that include (a) development and implementation of plans to reduce the use of mercury equipment and replace it with alternatives, (b) increase efforts to reduce the risk of unnecessary mercury equipment in hospitals and (c) a ban of mercury-containing devices and promotion of alternatives.

[ii] Another salient provision of the AO is the requirement to all new health care facilities applying for a license to operate to submit an inventory of all mercury-containing devices that will be used in their facilities and a corresponding mercury elimination program.

[iii] Countries around the world are banning the use of mercury-containing devices for its risk to people, wildlife and the environment. 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.