Quickly fix pollution at Dien Chau General Hospital

(Baonghean) - Residents of Hamlet 5, Dien Phuc Commune (Dien Chau) reported that the waste incinerator of Dien Chau General Hospital is currently polluting the environment, seriously affecting the lives and activities of the people. Although the incident has been reported many times, there has been no solution so far...

Medical waste incinerator of Dien Chau General Hospital.

From the above information, we went to Hamlet 5, Dien Phuc Commune and somewhat sympathized with the frustration of the local people. Although it was raining and there was no wind, the fishy, ​​foul and burnt smell from the hospital's incinerator still permeated the entire hamlet. Mr. Le Dinh Que, a resident of the hamlet, said: "Regardless of rain or shine, every time the hospital burns garbage, the people suffer. Many times the people have complained to the local authorities and the hospital, but they have not taken any measures to resolve the issue." Sharing the same frustration, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh: "When the hospital burns garbage, usually at 4-5 pm, if the weather changes, the whole neighborhood is suffocated and uncomfortable. Adults stay home and close the door, but if there are small children in the house, the only way is to run to another place to take refuge, and only return when the smell is gone"... Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, head of Hamlet 5, said: The hamlet has 124 households, 432 people, including many children and the elderly, so the pollution from the hospital's incinerator makes people very upset. The hamlet has reported this issue many times through council meetings and meetings with voters, but so far the situation has not improved.

Regarding the above issue, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuan - Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dien Chau district, said: Pollution from the incinerator of Dien Chau General Hospital is one of the issues raised for questioning at the 2nd session of the District People's Council. This is a reality that affects the residential area around the hospital, specifically Hamlet 5, because the hospital's incinerator is currently degraded and needs to be replaced. After the inspection, we have proposed that the Provincial and District People's Committees support the budget and promote the implementation of the hospital's waste treatment project.

Talking to us, Mr. Tran Khac Tien, Director of Dien Chau General Hospital, admitted: After sorting, the hospital's waste was transported to the treatment area by the Urban Environment One Member Co., Ltd., while medical waste including syringes, post-surgical items... collected from the departments were sent to the incinerator for treatment every day. However, because the hospital's incinerator has been in place since 2005, the technology is now outdated, there is no misting system to treat smoke before releasing it into the environment and it has been damaged many times, so when burned, the smoke emitted affects the residential area. With the hospital's efforts, every year, the unit spends hundreds of millions of VND to repair the incinerator and treat waste, but thorough treatment is very difficult.

Through discussions with Mr. Tien and observations at the hospital's incinerator, we found that this is an oil-powered incinerator with outdated technology. After being burned, the smoke is discharged directly into the environment through a chimney only about 15m high without any treatment system. This is the reason why the stench not only affects the surrounding residential area, but even relatives and patients treated at the hospital also said that every time the hospital's incinerator is operating, the air becomes stuffy... Mr. Tien said: The hospital is about to invest in a waste treatment system using advanced technology sponsored by the German Government, but we have to wait!

Regarding this, Mr. Nguyen Duy Que - General Planning Department of the Department of Health, said: The project "Investing in the construction of wastewater and waste treatment systems for hospitals in Nghe An province" funded by the German Government has been around since 2011, but it is not known when it will be implemented (in which Dien Chau General Hospital is on the list of investment recipients - PV). Therefore, from the environmental career capital of the Central Government and the counterpart capital of the province, Dien Chau General Hospital is currently being surveyed and designed to implement the wastewater treatment project. If the progress is on schedule, construction will start around the end of November 2014, with a budget of about 11 billion VND. Regarding the project funded by the German Government, the Department of Health is currently submitting a request for Dien Chau General Hospital to be transferred to the investment category of waste treatment systems using non-incineration technology, replacing outdated incinerators. However, whether it will be successful or not, when it will be implemented, depends on the German Reconstruction Bank.

While waiting for the Department of Health to request a project to invest in a waste treatment system funded by the German Government, with its own resources, Dien Chau General Hospital needs to research and soon have measures to treat medical waste to ensure environmental hygiene. Along with that, units and authorities need to regularly inspect and remind, not to let the hospital's waste treatment affect the living environment of local people.

Article and photos:Quang An