Contributing Plastic Waste, Hospitals Asked To Reduce Non-essential Plastic

Illustration (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Climate Officer Health Care Without Harm South East Asia Laethania Belai Djandam asked hospitals to strive to reduce plastic waste, especially for non-essential use.

"There is still a lot of plastic waste produced by hospitals. It is non-essential plastic waste," said Laethania Belai Djandam as reported by ANTARA, Sunday, February 23.

Laethania Belai Djandam said the results of research at hospitals in Southeast Asia showed that 40 to 70 percent of hospital waste was plastic waste and more than half were non-essential plastic waste.

His party gave an example of the use of non-essential plastic in the health sector, including drinking for patients who still use drinks in plastic packaging.

"Botol drinking plastic to give water to our patients is actually a lot of alternatives that can be done without using plastic," he said.

Efforts to reduce hospital plastic waste are important. The reason is, microplastic exposure from plastic waste can cause a decrease in cognitive function, reproductive function, and can be carcinogenous.

"We see how microplastic exposure can result in a decline in cognitive function, but many other research has also talked about how microplastic exposure can have an impact on reducing reproductive function or carcinogenous," said Laethania Belai Djandam.

Plastic waste has a negative impact on the environment and public health so that the health sector is asked not to contribute to adding plastic waste.

"How we as the health sector who are then assigned to cure these diseases also contribute to plastic pollution," he said.