DOH: 4 state hospitals still use banned mercury devices

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health said yesterday four of 20 state-run hospitals in the country continue to use mercury-containing medical devices despite an order for its gradual phase-out in the country.

“The National Children’s Hospital, Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute” are still using these devices as of Feb. 24, Cabral said in a statement.

Cabral said the National Children’s Hospital is still using mercurial sphygmomanometers, while the Philippine Heart Center has fully phased out mercurial thermometers but still has functioning mercurial blood pressure devices.

The National Kidney and Transplant Institute, on the other hand, is still using 11 mercurial sphygmomanometers to back up hemodialysis units. The Amang Rodriguez Medical Center still has nine mercurial blood pressure devices, Cabral said.

Cabral, however, clarified that that these hospitals are just waiting for the delivery of digital sphygmomanometers.

The DOH issued Administrative Order 2008-0021 that mandated the gradual phase-out of mercury in all Philippine health care facilities and institutions.

Cabral said the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that mercury exposure can damage the nervous, digestive, respiratory, endocrine and immune systems and can also cause impaired vision and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, developmental effects on a fetus, and attention deficit and developmental delays during childhood. – Helen Flores, Philippine Star