DOH assures measures undertaken to address mercury spill at govt hospital

Health authorities on Saturday assured they are undertaking measures to address the effects of a mercury spill at a government hospital in Manila last Thursday.

The Department of Health said some children have been moved from the pediatric ward of the Fabella Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila to protect from possible contamination.

Fabella hospital chief Dr. Ruben Flores has had the affected area cordoned off and called in the National Poison Control, radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz reported.



As of Saturday, the dzBB report quoted health officials as saying the hospital's operations are normal, with the facility where the contamination occurred having been isolated.

The report also said health authorities assured the storage room where the supposed mercury spill occurred is far from the maternity ward.

Decontamination measures are being undertaken by the DOH, the Bureau of Fire Protection's Special Rescue Unit, and the National Poison Control.

For his part, DOH Secretary Enrique Ona ordered the prioritization of safety at the hospital, and instructed officials to review storage and disposal procedures to prevent a repeat of the incident. — LBG, GMA News