On September 13th, 2011, the Qinhuangdao Maternal and Child Health Hospital launched pilot project on eliminating mercury-containing medical devices in Hebei Province. The hospital is a third-grade class-A hospital (high level) with 600 beds.
The project is jointly conducted by China National Democratic Construction Association Qinhuangdao Municipal Committee, Sino-Union Create (a Chinese NGO based in Qinhuangdao), Qinhuangdao Maternal and Child Health Hospital and Global Village of Beijing. The Deputy Director of Qinhuangdao Bureau of Health, Guo Zhimin, participated in the event and highly valued the project.
The Deputy Chairman of the China National Democratic Construction Association Qinhuangdao Municipal Committee and the Director of the hospital unveiled the event andannounced the launching of the project.
In April 2011 and in the framework of their Zero Mercury Campaign, Global Village of Beijing, in cooperation with Sino-UnionCreate held a joint workshop between healthcare sectors in Qinhuangdao City and Beijing Jishuitan Hospital and Tiantan Hospital who had conducted similar pilot projects on substituting mercury-free medical devices.
The two pilot hospitals shared their achievements and practical experiences with the participants from Qinhuangdao and the participants visited Beijing Jishuitan Hospital in the afternoon. Based on the skill-share workshop in April, the pilot substitution project of Qinhuangdao Maternal and Child Health Hospital aims to improve management of mercury-containing medical devices and move towards mercury-free substitution of medical products in the hospital.
An important consequence of the project is that it will demonstrate the possibility of eliminating mercury-containing medical products to other hospitals.
A mercury-elimination task force led by the Director of Qinhuangdao Maternal and Child Health Hospital has been established in the hospital. Workshops have demonstrated how to conduct an inventory of mercury-containing medical devices, how to handle mercury spills, and provided training on mercury pollution. The hospital plans to finish substituting all their mercury-containing thermometers by the end of 2011.
Global Village of Beijing appreciates the support for this work by European Environmental Bureau/Zero Mercury Working Group, Health Care Without Harm and IPEN- International POPs Elimination Network. The views expressed in this release are those of Global Village of Beijing.