HCM City hospitals respond positively to call for reducing plastic waste

It has paper cups near water coolers for patients to use, and plans to organise an event to encourage patients to limit the use and discharge of plastic bags and bottles in the hospital, he said.

“Many patients and their relatives like the convenience of plastic bags and bottles, so it is difficult for them to stop using them.”

The HCM City Oncology Hospital uses paper bags for X-ray, MRI and CT films, and self-destructing plastic bags are used for garbage at the hospital.

In the hospital’s canteens, plastic straws and boxes and foam boxes are no longer used, and have been replaced by glass.

At the Gia Định People’s Hospital in Bình Thạnh District, patients are encouraged to carry medicines in their own bags because the hospital is reducing and will soon stop using plastic bags for the purpose.

It has stopped using plastic water bottles, cups, dishes and straws at its conferences, meetings and training courses, replacing with paper and glass.

The hospital has installed water purification equipment and paper cups for patients.

Many other hospitals in the city are also carrying out similar campaigns to reduce plastic waste though the costs are admittedly high.

According to the city Department of Health, there are  六, 五 四 八 health facilities discarding nearly  三0 tonnes of solid medical wastes each day including plastic needles, syringes and others.

Speaking in an online meeting to discuss reduction of plastic waste in the health sector last month, Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến said the daily activities of health workers, patients and their family members, and professional medical activities such as packaging and storing medicines, chemicals, equipment, and medical materials generate large volumes of plastic waste. 

“Most plastic waste is from plastic bags, which is difficult to decompose, and packaging and items used by patients for carrying food and daily items.

"A quick report from some hospitals showed that about  五 per cent of medical waste per day is plastic."

According to European Co妹妹ission statistics, an estimated  八. 三 billion tonnes of plastic products were produced by  二0 一 八. Around  六. 三 billion tonnes have become waste with five billion tonnes accumulating in the environment or buried.

Every year,  四. 八- 一 二. 七 million tonnes of plastic waste is discharged into the oceans. — VNS