The Ministry of Health will hold a nationwide teleconference to launch a campaign on cutting the sector’s use of plastic products on August 16.

Illustrative photo (Source: livemint) 

As heard at a related press conference on August 12, the conference will be co-chaired by the Minister of Health, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, as well as the Resident Representative to Vietnam of the United Nations Development Programme.

 According to deputy head of the Health Environment Management Agency Nguyen Thanh Ha, the health sector is also a source of plastic waste in Vietnam, which is among the countries highly polluted by the waste in the world. Reports from a number of local hospitals say that about 5 percent of medical waste is plastic. However, in the field, single-use plastic products like syringes, gloves and sample bottles have significantly contributed to ensure safety and hygiene standards. 

 Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien recently signed an instruction asking organisations in the health sector to strictly minimise plastic waste.

 Accordingly, all the health facilities are required to design goals, plans, and roadmaps for the task. The sector is recommended to increase the use of environmentally friendly materials, while disposable bags, bottles, cups, bowls or plates used by patients, their families and medical personnel in their meals should be limited.