The Hindu : New Delhi News : Hospitals in the Capital to bid adieu to mercury soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 17, 2007
ePaper

New Delhi

New Delhi

Hospitals in the Capital to bid adieu to mercury soon

Staff Reporter

Known to have several ill-effects on human health and the environment

Deadline to be announced to phase out mercury
Some private hospitals have started the process

NEW DELHI: City hospitals and clinics will soon have to put in place measures to ensure a mercury-free environment for their workers and patients or at least limit the use of mercury in their establishments.

In a move that would limit the use of medical instruments using mercury – known to have several ill-effects on human health and the environment – the committee established to look into the issue will soon announce a deadline to begin the phasing out of mercury from government hospitals across Delhi. Instructions have also been issued to the Department of the Environment, Delhi Government, to establish guidelines to enforce this measure. “In a recently held meeting with our stakeholders we have looked at how soon medical care centres in the Capital will be able to start phasing out mercury. While we have some private hospitals which have already started the process of phasing out mercury, government hospitals too have been instructed to begin preparations before we formally announce the six-month deadline period,” said consultant in Occupational and Environmental Medicine T. K. Joshi.

The committee has also put in place three task force units for identifying and suggesting the area where there is excessive use of mercury and the places where they can be replaced. “While advertisements informing general public about the benefits of going mercury-free will be issued soon, by the end of October we will also be going to schools to educate students about the ill-effects of mercury. Also, nurses are being taught how to handle mercury waste and use medical instruments that don’t have mercury in them. We are also working on the guidelines for the same to ensure that mercury waste is not just limited but also disposed in a responsible manner,” said a senior official from the Department of Environment, Forest and Wildlife.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail