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Mercury Phase Out in Health Care Sector
Source: Toxics Link, Date: , 2011
Toxics Link in partnership with Indira
Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), Lucknow, Uttar
Pradesh organized a workshop on “Mercury
Phase Out in Health Care Sector” on March 24th, 2011 in Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh which was supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The
event was attended by a remarkable gathering from various departments. The participants of the workshop include
the representatives of Pollution Control Boards, Uttar Pradesh Health System
Project, Doctors, Health Care Professionals, Educational and Research
Institutes and Civil Societies. The overall objective of the workshop was to
sensitize the issue of mercury in health care sector in the region by providing
a platform to all the stakeholders for a healthy discussion, knowledge and
experiences sharing. The workshop led the major emphasis on the following key
areas:
- Mercury Toxicity in health care sector
- Occupational health hazard of Mercury
- Role and responsibilities of important stakeholders
- Mercury phase out plan and challenges
- Mercury policy and global initiative
The daylong session was in two technical
sessions. The first technical session was on the theme of “Mercury Issues and Policies” which
was chaired by Prof. Ashok K. Agarwal (SOHS, IGNOU) and Mr. Satish Sinha
(Associate Director, Toxics Link). There were three speakers in the session,
namely, Dr. Ragini Kumari (Senior Programme Officer, Toxics Link), Prof. Peter
Orris (Expert GEF –UNDP), Dr. Anil Kumar (CMO, NFSG, Directorate General of
Health). The second technical session
was on the theme of “Managing Mercury Waste in Healthcare” which was chaired by
Dr. M. Subha Rao, Prof. J. V. Singh. There were four speakers in the session Dr.
Yogesh Saxena (Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physiology, HIHT, Dehradun), Prof.
Peter Orris (Expert, UNDP), Mr. J. Chandra Babu (Scientist C – HWM CPCB, Delhi)
and Dr. V. P. Sharma (Scientist F, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research,
Lucknow).
During the workshop it was emphasized that its
clear that mercury is toxic which tends to be harmful. It’s a fact that lack of
data, lack of information in this field is there. More research and findings is
needed. The workshop winded with a great interest and enthusiasm not only in
the participants but also with the panelists. More than 80 participants were
actively involved during the workshop.
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