The Commission on Audit (COA) has reminded the administrators of hospitals owned by the provincial government of Camarines Norte to dispose of their medical wastes properly to safeguard people's health and the environment.

The reminder, contained in COA's annual audit reports, was issued to the administrators and officers of the Camarines Norte Provincial Hospital (CNPH), Labo District Hospital (LDH), and Capalonga Medicare and Community Hospital (CMCH).

COA said its audit team found that the hospitals failed to observe strictly the Health Care Waste Management Manual formulated by the Department of Health (DOH).

The manual, it said, instructs healthcare facilities on how to observe proper handling, storage, and disposal of medical wastes, such as sorting wastes into color-coded plastic bags or containers.

Under the manuel there are six colors for the color-coding scheme -- black for non-infectious dry waste; green for non-infectious wet waste (kitchen, dietary, etc.); yellow for infectious and pathological waste; yellow with black band for chemical waste including those with heavy metals; orange for radioactive waste; and red for sharp and pressurized containers.

After gathering the medical wastes, these should be stored in a waste storage area until transported to a designated off-site treatment facility. The area should also be marked with a warning sign: "CAUTION: BIOHAZARDOUS WASTE STORAGE AREA-UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS KEEP OUT."

COA also said that the storage area should be protected from sun, rain, strong winds, floods, and the like, and it should not be situated in the proximity of fresh food stores or food preparation areas.

Citing its findings after inspection, COA said that CNPH did not follow the color-coding scheme for plastic bags and containers, and its existing Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and Storage Facility is inadequate to accommodate the daily accumulation of hospital wastes.

It said that the medical wastes were simply piled outside the facility and covered temporarily with large sheets of tarpaulins to prevent it from being totally exposed.

LDH, on the other hand, failed to follow the color-coded containers or garbage bins scheme, it said. These were also not placed in their designated locations, as a green plastic bag intended for kitchen and dietary waste was found in the Emergency Room, it added.

Also in the Emergency Room, yellow plastic bags were properly used for infectious and pathological waste. However, they were incorrectly placed in a black garbage bin, COA said.

In the case of CMCH, the hospital did not follow the proper use of color-coded bins and plastic bags. The audit team found that the hospital was using green plastic bags and garbage bins in the Emergency Room, and even the Lobby and Kitchen areas of the hospital had mismatched plastic bags and bins, it said.

At the same time, COA said that state auditors found that the septic tank and vaults of the hospital were constructed beside the area where food is being stored and prepared.

The hospital, it added, left the duty to dispose of diapers, which is categorized as infectious and pathological waste, to its patients. As a result, the audit team could not ascertain if these were being properly disposed of or not, it said.

COA recommended that the provincial governor should ensure adequate supply of resources to the local hospitals in order for them to effectively implement the provisions of the DOH Health Care Management Manual and respective Waste Management Plan.

The provincial head should also issue strict reminders to relevant health personnel regarding the proper observance of health care waste management, it said.

After the inspection and the submission of the report, COA said the three provincial hospitals have told the audit team that they have already taken steps to follow proper medical waste management and they also acknowledged the importance of adhering to the DOH Health Care Management Manual in a medical setting.