THE Cebu Provincial Government inaugurated a storage facility for hazardous wastes at the Ricardo Maningo Memorial Hospital (RMMH) in San Francisco, Camotes Island on Thursday, July 1, 2021.
The facility will store used needles, syringes, gauzes, and other hazardous wastes before these are collected by a treatment firm. A hauling company will take care of the disposal of the hazardous wastes after treatment.
Dr. Cristina Giango, chief of the Integrated Provincial Hospital Office, said that the RMMH is the first Capitol-run hospital to have the storage facility worth P1.88 million.
She said that the funds for the facility were sourced through the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of the Department of Health.
She said that such a storage facility is a standard requirement of the Environmental Management Bureau.
According to the Cebu Provincial Government in a Sugbo News report, all four provincial hospitals and the other 11 district hospitals in the province will have a similar facility.
Giango said that RMMH was prioritized first because of its remote location.
The inauguration was led by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, 5th District Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco, 5th District Provincial Board Member Andrei “Red” Duterte, San Francisco Mayor Al Alquillano, and RMMH Chief Dr. Lea Celestial.
During the inauguration, Garcia also directed Engr. Hector Jamora, chief of the Provincial Engineering Office, to fast-track the purchase request for the construction of the 100-bed facility for RMMH. (NRC, PR)