Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire warned health facilities that their licenses will be revoked if they fail to properly dispose of their infectious medical waste.
“There is a sanction for all these healthcare facilities who are not properly disposing the hospital waste,” Vergeire said in an online media forum.
She said that proper handling of medical waste should be strictly implemented to prevent the infection and transmission of the deadly disease.
“Let us try to understand that these rapid tests are health waste and should be treated differently from household waste. These [used] rapid test kits can harm or infect people,” Vergeire said.
The health official urged local government units and health facilities to remember that there are guidelines and protocols on proper handling of medical waste and that it should not be ignored.
The DOH had already issued Department Memorandum 2020-0170, or the Interim Guidelines on the Management of Health Facilities, Community Quarantine Units and Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMF) with Cases of Covid-19, on the proper handling of hospital waste.
It provides guidance on the proper management of all Covid-19-related health-care waste in all health facilities, community quarantine units, and TTMF to prevent the spread of the disease.
The DOH underscored that waste management must be given priority to address the increase in the generation of hazardous waste, especially infectious waste related to Covid-19, as well as to ensure the welfare of all users of health-care facilities.
She said the proper disposal for treated infectious waste is at designated sanitary landfills.