Environmental protection in healthcare facilities contributes to improving people health

To carry out the clean water, sanitation program, the health sector organized many activities of environmental protection in medical facilities. Thereby contributing to improve the quality of medical examination and protection of people's health.

An official of Provincial General Hospital observe the infection control procedures.

 Building a "green-clean-beautiful" medical environment

In recent years, medical establishments in the province have received attention and investment in material facilities, infrastructure, renovating and upgrading sanitary works, medical waste treatment system. With the objective of ensuring the sanitation in medical facilities, provincial Department of Health issued many documents to direct the implementation of the "green-clean-beautiful" medical facility construction program; The waste management program in medical facilities to limit the risk of contamination in health facilities, create a fresh environment, help patients recover good health, reduce stress for health workers and patients.

One of the prominent activities is the communication, guidance, training to improve the capacity of relevant units. Accordingly, provincial healthcare authority opened training of medical waste management for medical centers. The communication was also strengthened. Especially, provincial Center for Disease Control disseminated, posted, broadcast media materials about medical waste management, "green-clean-beautiful" health facilities; keep up to the information about activities in medical environment management. In addition, provincial Center for Disease Control enhanced the inspection and monitoring of the implementation of medical establishments. Specifically, in the first 6 months of this year, Provincial Center for Disease Control organized an inspection on medical waste management of 7 health stations at communes, wards and towns. Annually, the proportion of hygienic and clean water in medical centers is constantly rising, 100% medical centers have sanitary toilets, clean water and quality assurance.

Dr. Ngo Dang, who is in charge of environmental health-school health under Provincial Center for Disease Control, said that to proactively fight diseases, improve people health and contribute to the implementation of sustainable development goals, in the coming time, the center aimed to ensure the medical waste treatment of healthcare facilities from the provincial, district to commune, ward and town levels as prescribed. In particular, the health branch completed the criteria of medical waste treatment and medical stations have clean water and sanitary toilets.

To guarantee the right classification and collection of medical waste

In recent years, the medical branch has attached special attention to solid medical waste treatment, but there are still some inadequacies. However, environmental sanitation, sanitation works, the management of medical waste in some medical establishments have not met the quality criteria prescribed by Ministry of Health. Province-level hospitals, private hospitals have handled well hazardous medical wastes.

"Medical waste from medical facilities including waste from medical and living activities of a sick person and their family. Medical waste including conventional medical waste and hazardous medical waste; In which conventional medical waste accounts for about 80-90%, the other is hazardous medical waste consisting of infectious waste and non-infectious hazardous waste. This is a problem of environmental health, occupational health that needs to be worried. To overcome the existing limitations, Provincial Center for Disease Control recommended the health branch to implement several solutions, such as: Construction of wastewater treatment system, ensuring that all wastewater is collected and processed according to standards; Wastewater must be processed through septic tanks and be sanitized before for absorbing or discharge into the common drainage system; Promoting socialization of environmental protection works, improving the efficiency of state management, protecting the environment in the health branch... ", Dr. Dang said.

In fact, in recent years, the collection and disposal of medical waste has received more attention, with the aim of not only minimizing the burden on waste treatment, environmental protection but also partially generating revenues for the medical solid waste management of medical facilities. Health centers equip themselves with colored bags, garbage cans as prescribed for waste collection and classification. The transport of medical waste is done quite well; no waste is dropped during transportation. However, there are still some medical centers that have not yet implemented correctly regulations on the daily waste transportation to storage places.

 Reported by Kim Ha - Translated by Ngoc Huynh

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