VietNamNet Bridge –The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has agreed to provide 1 per cent of its annual budget for environmental protection to the Ministry of Health for upgrading liquid and solid waste treatment systems at public hospitals by 2015.

The health sector has estimated VND5 trillion (US$243 million) would be needed for installing hospital waste-treatment systems by 2015, Tran Dac Phu, deputy head of the Health Environment Management Administration, said.

Many public hospitals have failed to install them due to a shortage of funds, he said, pointing out that even those with the systems frequently fail to treat waste because they lack the money to operate them.

Only 44 per cent of hospitals and clinics have treatment systems meeting environmental norms, he said.

Eighteen hospitals that cause severe environmental pollution need to be given priority in setting up treatment systems, he added.

The Ministry of Health has been tasked with drafting a master plan on treating medical wastes at hospitals, which will also specify the financial sources for each hospital.

More than 300,000 cubic metres of liquid waste and 600 tonnes of solid waste are required to be treated every day by 2015.

The HCM City People's Committee has instructed city agencies and district people's committees to study the investment required, operation, management, and technological solutions for installing waste treatment systems at public hospitals and clinics in the city.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News