Wastewater treatment zone in a central hospital (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Standard have been
set up in only 60 percent of total 13,000 healthcare clinics nationwide, said
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long at a conference held in Hanoi on
March 30.
Investment and upgrades are still underway in other hospitals with rudimentary
treatment system, Long added, highlighting that a shortage of capital,
hospitals’ concern and social attention is the main barrier.
It is necessary to build a standout mechanism for the rental of medical
wastewater treatment services as the Ministry of Health (MoH) has set a target
that wastewater treatment facilities will be installed in all hospitals by 2020
to protect the environment.
According to head of the MoH’s Health Environment Management Agency Nguyen Thi
Lien Huong, only 62 percent of central hospitals have quality treatment systems
while the figures in provincial hospitals and district hospitals are 59.3 percent
and 65.9 percent, respectively.
Thus, there is a large amount of hospital waste water discharged into the
environment daily, Huong stressed while pointing out that limited capacity to
manage wastewater treatment system has resulted in inefficient operation of the
facilities.
Conference participants discussed the allocation of capital for renting medical
wastewater treatment services, waste water treatment costs and maintenance
costs.
According to the Prime Minister’s related draft decision, state-owned hospitals
are allowed to rent medical wastewater treatment services to ensure that wastewater
output meets environmental standards. The rental cost is included in medical
examination expenses.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
