On January 10, 2023 in Phu Tho province, the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between The Center for Health Environment Research and Development (CHERAD) and Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital took place to launch the implementation of the initiative. “Building a Circular Economy Model in Medical Plastic Waste Management”. Attending the ceremony were representatives of Department of Environmental Pollution Control, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Health and Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Phu Tho Province, Winrock International Organization, CHERAD, leaders and faculties/ relevant room in the Hospital.
Currently, Viet Nam has more than 13,500 medical facilities, generating about 22 tons of plastic waste per day, 65% of which is infectious plastic waste. Plastic in general and disposable plastic, in particular, are being widely used in the production of medical supplies such as syringes, infusion lines, protective gear, medicine bottles and garbage bags. Through use, these items can carry infectious elements and are difficult to recycle or reuse.
Within the framework of the Pollution Reduction Project, which is managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Winrock International, the Center for Research and Development Health Environment Development (CHERAD) implements the “Circular Economy Model in Medical Plastic Waste Management” initiative to reduce emissions, while increasing the proportion of waste reuse and medical plastics recycling through the sustainable management of plastic waste in medical facilities.
Phu Tho General Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in the province, with a scale of 1,500 beds, receiving more than 1,000 patients daily. Like many other hospitals, Phu Tho General Hospital currently does not have a waste classification system, especially plastic waste at the source. Therefore, plastic waste treatment is still applying the same process as normal hazardous waste, leading to high waste treatment costs and a very low recycling/reuse rate.
The signing event of a cooperation agreement between CHERAD and Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital is an important milestone and a necessary basis for the two sides to implement activities and mobilise stakeholders’ participation. Implementation of this initiative. Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital is the second hospital, after Can Tho Central General Hospital, to sign a cooperation agreement with CHERAD within the framework of the initiative “Circular Economy Model in medical plastic waste management”. The initiative is expected to be implemented by CHERAD and its partners in Can Tho, Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, Hanoi and Binh Dinh during the period from 2022 to 2025.
Specialist Doctor II Le Na – Deputy Director of the Hospital shared: “We believe that the model will contribute to reducing the generation of medical plastic waste, as well as reducing the cost of waste treatment for the Hospital and reducing the cost of waste treatment and the leakage of medical plastic waste into the environment. We will work closely with CHERAD and related units to successfully implement this model.”
The initiative will apply a collective approach to engage stakeholders, including state management agencies, research institutions, the community, the private sector, and companies that collect, classify and treat solid waste to build a Circular Economy model around medical plastic waste. The model is expected to help the hospital carry out green procurement, reduce the use of medical supplies made from plastic, sort plastic waste from the source, and increase the ability to treat and disinfect medical plastic waste for recycling and reuse. The results of implementing the Circular Economy in Medical Plastic Waste Management initiative will also play an important role in providing a database for Phu Tho province and other provinces to develop regulations and allocate investment in medical waste management.
Specialist Doctor II Tran Minh Khanh, Deputy Director of Phu Tho Department of Health, affirmed: “Managing medical plastic waste is an important issue to be solved. We appreciate the initiative to support Phu Tho General Hospital to handle this problem methodically and earlier than other units. The Department of Health will allocate resources to support the well-implemented model and, if the model proves effective, will actively promote the application of this model in other health facilities in Phu Tho province”.
