In the midst of modernizing health care facilities and services, one issue remains sadly on the background—medical waste management.  It is an irony that efforts to heal the sick and make them healthier create waste that if improperly handled, can harm those exposed to it. 

Pyrolysis, a technology classified under incinerators by the European Union and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is the first among the "acceptable" methods recommended by the Phil Department of Health in the new MedWaste Manual for treating infectious waste.  This technology and other incinerators-in-disguise technologies have been identified to emit furans and dioxin, a very toxic compound, which was also categorized by the World Health Organization as a Known Human Carcinogen. In other words, this technology can cause cancer  to the hospital staff, patients, visitors, and also the surrounding community.

While the issue of waste burning have been justified by health care sector because of concerns on the transmission of infectious waste to the general populace, fact is, only 15% of medical waste are infectious and/or hazardous.  The remaining 85%, solid waste can be treated as household/general waste.

Alternatives for infectious waste treatment have been available in the Philippines for many years now.  We have autoclave and microwave which are toxic emission-free and treats infectious waste successfully without causing any harm to the community health and environment. But the Phil DOH continues to recommend technologies that can cause long-term, debilitating conditions. This would directly contradict to their battle-cry "Modernizing Hospitals for Universal Health Care". 

Promotion of a dirty technology--which has been banned, phased-out and caused massive economic losses to developed countries such as the US, Germany and Australia—is not an upgrade for the Philippine hospitals’ waste management. Nor the promotion of a cancer-causing technology an appropriate way to promote health for all.. 

A truly modern hospital is one that would operate on the principle that encompasses all aspects of health care—from health promotion to disease recovery—and takes into consideration reduction of risks associated with disease.  

Our battle cry remains.  BURN NOT.