Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi plans to build wastewater treatment systems at 12 state-run hospitals and medical units in a move to mitigate serious environment pollution. Other details about the plan have not been made available at this time, the Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper reported Feb 23. Hanoi is suffering from serious environmental pollution, especially medical waste-related issues, experts said, adding that nearly 40 state-owned hospitals in the city have not yet built medical waste treatment systems. Earlier, the capital planned to invest VND80 billion ($3.83 million) on building medical wastewater treatment systems at 16 public hospitals by end-2010. Residents, companies and hospitals in the city discharge nearly 458,000 cubic meters of wastewater a day, of which 41% is domestic wastewater, 57% industrial wastewater and 2% medical wastewater. (Cong An Nhan Dan – People’s Police Feb 23 p2, Quan Doi Nhan Dan – People’s Army Feb 23 p4)
