In recent years, Vietnam’s Long An Province, located in the Mekong Delta, has seen an increase in economic development projects. The activities have led to detrimental environmental effects, resulting in increased health challenges among local residents. This change has not gone unnoticed by pharmacist and public health advocate Duong Thi Anh Khoa. 

Khoa, who participated in the Harpswell Foundation’s ASEAN Program for Women’s Leadership in 2020, is local to the province and a staunch advocate for better medical waste management. 

One of the biggest problems that my community is facing is the lack of medical waste management, which leads to many negative environmental and social impacts. Some of the major effects include infections, heavy-metal toxins, sharp-object injuries, water contamination, land and air pollution caused by incineration. That is why I try to improve medical waste management so that my community can have a safer healthcare system and be healthy.

She became interested in the issue during her studies and has since worked to change local healthcare practices to address medical waste. Following is our conversation with Khoa.

What is medical waste management?
“Medical waste” is generally defined as any waste contaminated with potentially infectious agents or materials that may pose a threat to public health, animals or the environment. There are four kinds of medical waste: infectious, hazardous, radioactive, and general. Medical waste management consists of all procedures from sorting, collecting, handling, storing, transporting, treating, or disposing of waste properly. Improper management of this waste can pose a threat to healthcare professionals, populations, animals, and our environment which also leads to a reduction in public health.

Why is important to address medical waste management?
From when I was a pharmacy student until now, as a medical staff working in the healthcare field, I have seen many health violations due to poor healthcare waste management, which impacts medical staff, patients and local communities. I believe that I have a responsibility to raise awareness about this problem to promote healthier communities. Medical staff has to protect themselves first before they are able to help others. I would love to see medical centers that provide a high level of healthcare services sought by patients and also maintain a sanitary waste disposal system for a sustainably healthy environment.

On the other hand, I strongly believe that medical waste management is not just the medical staff’s responsibility, it has to be accounted for by all citizens. People deserve safe shelters so that they can lead healthy lives, especially children. Poor medical waste management leads to hazardous living conditions for children, who are our future. 

What are some of the initiatives that you’ve implemented thus far?
Since 2016, I’ve worked with medical centers in the Mekong Delta to raise awareness among medical staff and the public and support the implementation of healthcare. Several positive changes can be seen clearly through the past years. The public is now more involved in the processes by monitoring medical staff as patients or observers. The medical staff’s self-awareness about healthcare waste management implementation has increased gradually.

Another initiative is a six-month training project that I developed from December 2018 to May 2019. It focused on influencing the attitude of medical staff and the public on improving medical waste management. The training was divided into two phases. The first two months focused on training medical staff to follow national regulations – emphasizing the effects on the air that people breathe, water that they drink and land that they live on, and the high-risk potential injury that might occur from infected needles and syringes that have not been disposed of properly. In the second section of the training, the same medical staff trained local communities. They spread the information they learned in phase one with the people. The reason I structured the training in this way was to build the capacity of more people.

What advice would you give to others who are interested in addressing medical waste in their communities?
For other people who are working to improve public health, I would suggest choosing a specific part of the big problem and do it step by step. You do not have to rush to solve all the problems at one time. The next step is to network with people who share the same interests. The more effort and support, the more successful you will get for your movement. You can share experiences and challenges among your network to find the best solutions. You will learn so much from others’ experiences and may apply some back in your community.

What do you hope to see in the future (in terms of medical waste management)?
I hope that within five years, 100% of local healthcare professionals will strictly follow national guidelines for medical waste management. In order to do that, they must prioritize awareness as well as a monitoring mechanism. Another hope is to see more young women leaders in my community who are working on addressing medical waste management. If I can make positive contributions to the good of healthcare, it will inspire and empower more and more women, not only in Vietnam but also in the region, to engage in the public health sector.