The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said more than 630,000 metric tons of medical waste from Philippine hospitals were collected in the first half of 2021 alone.
Data from the Online Hazardous Waste Management System of the DENR showed that from January to June, 634,687 metric tons of healthcare waste were collected from hospitals nationwide.
In an interview Monday, Philippine Hospital Association President Dr. Jaime Almora said this was expected because hospitals were now overwhelmed with COVID-19 and non-COVID cases.
He added that waste management was difficult for hospitals, since the bulk of the hazardous waste was made up of used intravenous plastic bottles, and there was a separate fee being collected by third-party treatment, storage, and disposal facilities for these.
Almora said the DENR and Department of Health had set rules for hospitals to segregate regular hospital waste from COVID-19 waste and hazardous waste.
But he said with the surge in COVID-19 cases, these rules were probably already being neglected by some hospitals.
Environment Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management Benny Antiporda said the DENR in 2020 created a COVID-19 waste management plan, which covered the segregation and treatment of COVID-19 and hazardous waste.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government released a memo circular instructing local government units to adopt the said plan, but not all LGUs may have followed the protocols.
Antiporda said households with identified COVID-19 positive patients should also be strict in segregating regular waste from COVID-19 waste.
As early as last year, the DOH warned that healthcare facilities that improperly dispose of healthcare wastes and used rapid test kits face sanctions.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said healthcare wastes should be placed in a separate container approved by the environment department because its disposal is different from ordinary waste products.
Vergeire issued the warning after residents in Sampaloc, Manila found a sack of used rapid antibody test kits along M. Dela Fuente Street.
Apart from the test kits, personal protective equipment used by healthcare workers, and other items used for the treatment of patients must be disposed of properly following healthcare waste disposal protocols, Vergeire added.
“They should be placed in a bag with the proper label that they are healthcare wastes and there are designated places for healthcare wastes as approved by the DENR,” she said.
She urged healthcare facilities to ensure proper disposal of healthcare wastes, saying these are hazardous and could cause harm to people.
Healthcare facilities that fail to comply with healthcare waste disposal protocols will receive a warning on their first violation from the DOH.
“We will suspend you if you still fail to comply, and, final will be revocation of your license, and aside from that if there are other sanctions for violation of other laws with regard to this healthcare waste,” Vergeire said.
