Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have called on the government to ensure the proper management and disposal of medical wastes.
The UniTeam tandem said improper disposal of medical wastes could abet the spread of various life-threatening diseases, including the still prevalent and dangerous COVID-19.
Marcos and Duterte-Carpio made the call after receiving reports about an incident in Virac, Catanduanes where eight children got infected with COVID-19 after playing near an area where a diagnostics laboratory was dumping its hazardous wastes.
“If we don’t dispose of medical wastes properly, there is a risk that communities living near dumpsites will be exposed to viruses and other pathogenic microorganisms, such as what happened in Virac. It could trigger another surge of infections,” the tandem said in a statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently warned the vast amount of waste produced in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic posed a threat to human and environmental health, adding that the tens of thousands of tons of extra medical waste have put a huge strain on healthcare waste management systems.
The international health agency issued the warning as it reported that safe management services for healthcare waste were lacking even before the pandemic added further pressures.
According to a 2019 data, one in three healthcare facilities globally did not safely manage healthcare waste, and in the least-developed countries, two in three facilities did not have a basic healthcare waste management service.
In line with this, the UniTeam called for the strengthening of the country’s response to the threats posed by improper disposal of medical wastes.
“One of the things we will focus on is resolving climate change, which is a global problem. Toward this end, improving our waste management program is included in our plan of action because poor waste management contributes to climate change and pollution,” the tandem said.
“The garbage problem is one of the problems that our country has been facing for a long time. Our environment is begging to be rescued from the snares of imminent destruction,” they added.
