Improving healthcare facility environment: From waste management to community awareness

SKĐS - Along with improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, effective medical waste management helps protect public health and limit the risk of disease spread.

Along with investing in facilities and improving the quality of professional services for medical examination and treatment, the health sector of Lang Son province has recently focused on building "green - clean - beautiful" medical facilities, aiming at patient satisfaction and improving community health.

According to Lang Son General Hospital, the hospital receives about 800 medical examinations and 700-900 inpatients every day. With a large number of patients and medical staff, the amount of daily household waste generated is also very large. To manage medical waste in accordance with the Ministry of Health 's instructions, the hospital has collected, classified and treated waste at the source, especially in areas with potential risk of infection.

Proper management of medical solid waste and medical wastewater is a way to build a sustainable medical facility environment, contributing to improving people's health. Photo: Lang Son Provincial General Hospital.

The hospital also actively disseminated to 100% of its staff and employees the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 and Decision No. 26/2023/QD-UBND on management, collection, transportation, and treatment of solid waste in the province. The forms of dissemination were diverse, from the internal network system, meetings, website, fanpage to Zalo groups of departments and offices.

In addition, the hospital thoroughly instructed medical staff to strictly implement regulations on hazardous waste management, while raising awareness among patients and their families in classifying, collecting and disposing of household waste in the right place. It also instructed and encouraged to limit the use of disposable plastic products and hard-to-decompose nylon bags, replacing them with environmentally friendly products such as cloth bags. Monitoring results at 13 departments showed that all met the criteria for waste classification immediately after generation.

Strengthening medical waste management

On March 28, the Department of Health of Lang Son province issued Official Dispatch No. 919/SYT-NVYD on strengthening medical waste management within medical facilities.

Accordingly, the Health Departments of districts and cities are required to strengthen inspection, examination and supervision in the management areas, especially for private medical facilities, to ensure full implementation of the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, Circular No. 20/2021/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health on medical waste management within the scope of medical facilities, as well as Circular No. 07/2025/TT-BTNMT of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Patients and their families participate in waste classification, joining hands to build a friendly medical facility.

At the same time, public and private medical facilities continue to disseminate, educate, train and communicate to officials, civil servants and employees about medical waste management, and collect, transport and treat medical solid waste in accordance with the provisions of Decision No. 38/2022/QD-UBND of the province.

Units are also required to review and evaluate the current status of the medical wastewater treatment system, develop a plan for renovation or new investment if the system does not meet standards or is degraded, and at the same time strengthen operational supervision, prepare documents to apply for a replacement Environmental License when necessary, and develop plans and equipment to prevent and respond to environmental incidents. Self-inspection and supervision of the implementation of environmental protection regulations must be carried out regularly, violations must be strictly handled, and training and communication must be organized to raise awareness for all cadres, civil servants and related subjects.

The synchronous implementation of the above measures not only helps hospitals protect the environment and limit the risk of disease spread, but also contributes to improving service quality and building the image of a medical facility that is friendly to the community.

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Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/cai-thien-moi-truong-co-so-y-te-tu-quan-ly-rac-thai-den-y-thuc-cong-dong-169251202163841086.htm