Department of Natural Resources and Environment directed to handle the issue raised in the newspaper.
(Baonghean) - Nghe An Newspaper, issue 3/9/2014, carried an article "Soon fix pollution at Dien Chau General Hospital" reflecting that Dien Chau General Hospital, when operating a medical waste incinerator, caused serious pollution, directly affecting the lives of hundreds of households. On 22/9/2014, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued Official Dispatch No. 3772/STNMT-BVMT directing the handling of the issue raised by the newspaper. Specifically: The Department of Natural Resources and Environment coordinated with the People's Committee of Dien Chau district and the People's Committee of Dien Phuc commune to organize inspections and verifications to clarify the content of the above newspaper.
- Test results:
- Regarding wastewater treatment:
Hospital wastewater includes domestic wastewater and medical wastewater collected separately, treated by microbiological methods and Chloramine B, grease separated by foam and flowing into biological pond.
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| Medical waste incinerator of Dien Chau General Hospital. |
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- Regarding solid waste treatment:
Hospital solid waste is divided into 2 types:
+ Domestic waste: About 500kg/day, collected, classified and put into a centralized tank. The hospital has contracted with Nghe An Urban Environment Company Limited to transport and bury at Nghi Yen landfill.
+ Medical waste and hazardous waste: Collected and burned at the hospital's incinerator, burning takes place between 4-5 pm every day. At the time of inspection, the hospital's incinerator system was broken, so the inspection team could not collect and analyze gas samples.
According to the 2013 monitoring report, air and wastewater samples all met current standards. However, through work, local government representatives reported that the hospital's medical waste burning caused unpleasant odors for people living around the hospital.
Hospital leaders said that because there is no new incinerator, the hospital has to use an old incinerator. Due to outdated technology and long usage time, the incinerator is often damaged, so during the burning process, the odor is emitted, affecting the surrounding households. It is requested that competent authorities create all conditions for the hospital to upgrade and equip the incinerator soon, ensuring the environment during operation.
- Conclude:
- The Nghe An Newspaper's report that Dien Chau General Hospital burned medical waste, causing unpleasant odors for the people of Hamlet 5, Dien Phuc Commune, Dien Chau District, is well-founded. The reason is that the incinerator has outdated technology. During its operation, it has been damaged many times, although it has been repaired, but up to now it still cannot meet the needs of medical waste treatment and ensure environmental protection.
Recommendation:
- The Department of Health has arranged investment resources to upgrade and build Dien Chau General Hospital. This includes a solid waste and wastewater treatment system that ensures compliance with emission and wastewater standards.
- Nghe An Department of Health, Dien Chau District People's Committee: Based on the authority prescribed in the 2005 Law on Environmental Protection and current legal regulations, regularly inspect and supervise the compliance with the law on Environmental Protection of Dien Chau General Hospital, and strictly handle violations (if any).
- Dien Chau General Hospital:
+ Must comply with the regulations stated in the environmental impact assessment report approved by the People's Committee of Nghe An province in Decision No. 5752/QD-UBND-DC dated December 19, 2008.
+ Regularly operate the hospital's wastewater treatment system and incinerator to ensure they meet environmental standards before being discharged into the environment;
+ Must establish a register of hazardous waste source owners and build a warehouse to store, manage and treat hazardous waste in accordance with Circular 12/2011/BTNMT dated April 14, 2011 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
+ Report corrective and remedial measures and implementation results to the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, Provincial People's Committee, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Information and Communications and Nghe An Newspaper before September 30, 2014.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment
