Before December 31, handle serious environmental pollution at medical facilities

In Notice 266/TB-VPCP, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai requested that in the coming time, the Ministry of Health continue to direct and urge the thorough handling of serious environmental pollution at medical facilities that have not yet completed thorough environmental pollution treatment according to Decision No. 64/2003/QD-TTg to complete before December 31, 2012.

Thoroughly handle the serious environmental pollution situation at medical facilities - Illustration photo

Under the direction of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health coordinated with the Ministry of Construction and relevant ministries and branches to inspect and evaluate environmental pollution treatment at medical facilities nationwide.

The Ministry of Health reports to the Prime Minister on cases of poor implementation of environmental pollution treatment at medical facilities; recommends solutions and mechanisms that need to be supplemented and adjusted to suit reality.

Pilot model of effective medical waste treatment

The Deputy Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry of Health to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology and relevant ministries, branches and localities to research and propose a pilot implementation mechanism, including incentives on loans, land, taxes, etc., to attract investors from many economic sectors to participate in implementing medical waste treatment models and projects.

The Deputy Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry of Finance to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Health, Vietnam Social Security and relevant ministries and branches to study directions for allowing the use of unused health insurance funds to invest in waste treatment systems at medical facilities according to the principles of ensuring the safety of the Fund and ensuring recovery of investment capital.

The Ministry of Health also has the urgent task of presiding over and coordinating with relevant ministries, branches and localities to focus on implementing the overall project on medical waste treatment for the period 2011-2015 and orientation to 2020 which has been issued.

Currently, the country has 13,511 medical facilities of all kinds and the total amount of solid waste generated from these facilities is about 450 tons/day, of which 47 tons are hazardous medical solid waste, requiring treatment by appropriate measures. The total amount of medical wastewater generated and requiring treatment is also up to 125,000 m3/day.
Currently, the rate of hospitals classifying medical solid waste is 95.6% and collecting medical solid waste daily is 90.9%. However, only about half of the hospitals meet the standard requirements for the process of collecting and classifying medical waste.
In particular, according to the list in Decision No. 64/2003/QD-TTg, the health sector has 84 facilities causing serious pollution, but to date, nearly half of them have not been certified as having completed thorough treatment as required by the Government.

According to (Chinhphu.vn) - LT