• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More than 111 metric tons of hazardous medical waste from hospitals operated and managed by the Negros Occidental provincial government have been collected and properly disposed as of Aug. 1.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the hazardous hospital waste was transported to a facility accredited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to ensure its proper and environmentally compliant disposal.
Diaz said the hazardous materials had been stored for more than three decades in septic vaults and hazardous waste storage areas of four provincial government-run hospitals.
These include the Governor Valeriano Gatuslao Memorial Hospital in Himamaylan City, Lorenzo Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan City, Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial District Hospital in La Carlota City, and Ignacio Arroyo Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Isabela town.
The collection and removal of the waste were carried out by the team of pollution control officers under the Office of the Provincial Administrator.
Diaz said the provincial government will continue its cleanup efforts in all provincial hospitals until a comprehensive system for proper monitoring, packing, and responsible disposal of medical waste is fully established. | GPB
