Med facilities worried about waste disposal
MEDICAL clinics and hospitals in Cebu City are worried about the consequences of storing their wastes within their premises in the absence of an accredited treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facility.
Councilor Joel Garganera revealed this development in a privileged speech he delivered Tuesday, Jan. 22.
Meanwhile, in Mandaue City, the medical wastes found dumped in the riverbanks of the Butuanon River are now being moved to a temporary garbage facility.
He said he met with representatives from hospitals, maternity clinics and medical facilities last week and learned of their concern.
“Maternity clinics are having a difficult time in disposing the placentas from a mother’s womb after birth because placentas tend to emit a strong smell after a few days of storage. Some hospitals are now keeping their wastes in drums that have almost reached their limit,” he said.
He said even the Cebu City Medical Center is having a hard time disposing of their medical and infectious wastes due to the lack of TSD facilities available.
The situation prompted Garganera to push for an executive session with Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 Director William Cuñado, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 Executive Director Gilbert Gonzales and representatives of healthcare and TSD facilities. The City Council immediately scheduled an executive session on Jan. 30.
Garganera said permits of some TSD facilities such as Davao City Environmental Care Inc. (DCECI) expired in August 2018 and that of Pollution Abatement Systems Specialists Inc. (Passi) in June 2018.
He said the EMB 7 had given one of these TSDs “a difficult time in the issuance of the permits despite reasonable efforts.”
Hospital wastes had been found floating in the waters of the Mactan Channel, posing harmful risks to the health and welfare of the public. DCECI was identified to be the TSD collector.
“Someone has to take responsibility for this. Otherwise, all of the problems that we face today will happen again tomorrow and there is no assurance that they won’t get worse. When it comes to matters concerning the health and safety of our people, compromise is not an option this time,” Garganera said.
Mandaue City
The Mandaue City Government started on Tuesday, Jan. 22, transferring the hospital wastes dumped on the riverbank of the Butuanon River in Barangay Paknaan.
Residents near the river had complained of foul odor where the wastes had been dumped.
The transfer was made possible after Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna met with members of the city’s Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) on Jan. 21. He also met with representatives of two private hospitals, a waste collecting firm and officials from the DENR 7 to discuss the immediate and proper disposal of medical wastes dumped in Paknaan.
Fortuna said the wastes will be temporarily placed at the material recovery facility of the Department of General Services (DGS).
The City will wait for the DENR to issue a transport permit to Passi, the company that will collect and treat the wastes in its facility in Cebu City.
Fortuna said hospital wastes had to be removed fast from the riverbank to avoid these being swept away by floods when heavy rains hit the city.
Representatives from Chong Hua Hospital Mandaue and Cancer Center and University of Cebu Medical Center have committed to help the city and DENR in conducting an inventory of the medical wastes found in the area. (RVC, FMD of Superbalita Cebu, JKV)