Web-Resol Tudo sobre Limpeza Urbana e Resíduos Sólidos!
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
Artigos Relacionados
Check Also
Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains
Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still...