Philippines – guidelines on hospital waste management issued

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Health has issued guidelines on hospital waste management through a Joint Administrative Order outlining the framework by which-hospitals and clinics can safely dispose of their wastes.



Freeman reports that among the salient responsibilities given to the DENR and DOH as cited in the JAO is that the DENR, through Its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), will take the lead in issuing required environmental permits for firms involved in the handling, storage, treatment , and disposal of health care wastes. It will take the lead in monitoring compliance to DENR-set standards of entities engaged in hospital waste management program namely hospital wastes generators; transporters; treatment, storage and disposal facilities; and final disposal facility operators.



The DENR will also conduct regular sampling and monitoring of wastewater in health care and TSD facilities. The order identifies eight major “Health Care Waste Generators” such as hospitals, infirmaries, birthing homes or ‘‘paanakan,‘‘ clinics, laboratories, drug manufacturers, mortuary and autopsy centers, and institutions functioning as medical schools, dental schools, med-tech intern schools, schools for x-ray technicians, nursing homes, training centers for embalmers, and drug rehabilitation. It likewise identifies dental, veterinary clinics, drug testing centers and HIV testing laboratories as waste generators.



For its part, the DOH will primarily oversee the development of training programs on health care waste management program. DOH will assist all health facilities in the preparation of plan to effectively implement HCWMP. Henceforth, the plan will be a requirement for the issuance or renewal of their licenses to operate. A Healthcare Waste Generation study by DOH reveals that there are about 2,068 hospitals in the Philippines, including 71 hospitals under DOH, which generate about 28 tons per day. Nearly 170 multi-sectoral representatives from medical institutions, financial institutions, NGOs, local government units, service providers and other government agencies were consulted for the preparation of the framework.



A study undertaken by WHO revealed that the distribution of hospital wastes in developing countries are 80 per cent general healthcare wastes, 15 per cent pathological and infectious waste, 1 per cent sharp wastes and 3 per cent chemical/pharmaceutical wastes. Health care wastes are wastes generated by health care establishments such as hospitals, clinics, laboratories, dialysis centers, mortuary/autopsy, nursing homes, animal research and testing, blood banks, research institutions, drug manufacturers, and educational institutions. Some of the categories of health care wastes include general, pathological, radioactive, chemical, infectious, sharps, pharmaceutical wastes, and aerosol and pressurized containers