More than 7,200 private clinics, 322 medical centres and 4 major hospitals have no waste treatment facility for their medical wastewater, which is now causing serious environmental pollution, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported last week.
Only 40 public and private hospitals including major hospitals like Cho Ray, SRP Buu Dien II, Thong Nhat and the Pasteur Institute in the city have basic waste treatment facilities but still fail to meet international standards.
The most worrisome are hospitals that are located in crowded areas or in the centre of the city.
The department also reported that wastewater released from public and private hospitals contained solid and hazardous wastes.
Relevant authorities have checked and penalized private and public hospitals and clinics that lack waste treatment facilities. Hospitals and clinics are now being forced to build wastewater treatment systems in order to decrease environmental pollution.
