TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) of this city has requested the Department of Health (DOH) in the province and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) to strictly monitor the disposal of hazardous wastes by local hospitals and clinics.
In a resolution passed during its first quarter meeting on February 8, the SWMB invoked the Manual on Healthcare Waste Management and likewise Joint DENR-DOH Administrative Order No. 02, series of 2005.
Under Chapter 5 of the Manual on Healthcare Waste Management, healthcare providing establishments are mandated to segregate, collect, store and transport their hazardous wastes “in a safe manner considering the risk and occupational safety and in accordance with existing laws and guidelines.”
The joint DOH and DENR circular provides among others that the DOH formulate policies, standards, guidelines systems and procedures on the management of healthcare wastes, evaluate the compliance to such health care management program and inform the DENR of actions undertaken in cases of non-compliance with such procedures by the healthcare facilities.
The resolution was prompted by the report from City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) personnel that after the practice of some health care establishments in the city of dumping their hazardous wastes in the city dump site at barangay Dilag was stopped through the non-collection of such wastes by garbage collectors and the checking of wastes being brought to the facility, hazardous wastes started to appear on roadsides and in illegal dump sites in the city.
Senior Environmental Management Specialist Christian Rielle Dumatog told the council that rather than leave the hazardous wastes lying in the open, the city collectors collect them along with the other wastes and dump them at the city dump site.
AO IV George Padalla also of the CENRO said that their office had written the hospitals and clinics regarding the proper disposal of their hazardous wastes twice already to no avail.
It was pointed out during the discussion that the construction of a septic vault is a requirement for the issuance of licenses to health care providing establishments.
The board decided that they will visit the hospitals to check on their compliance with regulations on the disposal of hazardous wastes and likewise make rounds of the illegal dump sites before their second quarter meeting in April.**Estanislao Albano, Jr.
