Philippines Health Care to Go Mercury-Free

Manila - Health Care Without Harm (HCWH)-Southeast Asia commends the recent signing of an Administrative Order that will make the Philippine health care system mercury-free by 2010. 

“This is a very welcome move that will elevate the status of the Philippines as an environmentally-health conscious nation and the Philippines’ health system as less toxic to the environment,” said Merci Ferrer, Executive Director of HCWH-SEA.

“Now, the Philippines is not just the only country in the world to ban the use of incinerators.  It is also the 1st in the whole of Southeast Asia—and for that matter the first developing country--to commit phase-out mercury in its health care system,” she added.

Administrative Order 2008-0021 mandates all hospitals to discontinue the distribution of mercury thermometers in the patient’s admission/discharge kits.  Further, it requires all hospitals to follow the guidelines for the gradual phase-out of mercury in two years.

According to Ferrer, as early as January 2006, the Department of Health has announced its commitment to gradually eliminate mercury-use in its health care system.  “The challenge is for DOH to make it happen even before 2010 especially for sphygmomanometer to be phased-out by that time.” 

In the First Mercury in Health Care Southeast Asia Conference in February 2006, the DOH in collaboration with HCWH agreed to come up with the AO outlining gradual phase-out of mercury devices in the country including thermometer, sphygmomanometer and other mercury-containing devices. 

Another salient provision of the AO is the requirement to all new health care facilities applying for a license to operate to submit an inventory of all mercury-containing devices that will be used in their facilities and a corresponding mercury elimination program. 

The AO also mandates that all other health care facilities other than hospital shall make a Mercury Minimization Program.*

“The challenge now is for the Health Department to make it happen and allow Philippines’ health care system to play a leadership role in the global effort to eliminate mercury in health care” said Ferrer.  

Health Care Without harm is co-leading an international campaign to phase-out mercury in health care globally over the next decade.  The organization has worked with dozens of hospitals in the Philippines, and thousands in the US, the European Union, and Latin America made the switch from mercury thermometers and other equipments that use mercury to mercury-free alternatives.*  

“In the US you can’t buy a mercury thermometer anymore, and blood pressure devices are on their way out” said Ferrer.  “Europe just banned mercury thermometers, and the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of the largest health care systems in Latin America is almost totally mercury free.  If we do it right, Philippines can now stand with these world leaders on the cutting edge of this international effort.”

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) is a global coalition of 473 organizations in more than 50 countries working to protect health by reducing pollution in health care sector.  For more information, visit www.noharm.org. (30)

*For the facsimile of the Department of Health AO, Click here
*For the Guide of Mercury-free alternatives, click here