STELLALANDER-VRYBURG: Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital in Vryburg celebrated World Environmental Health day on the 29 September under the theme “Global Environmental Public Health: Standing up for everyone’s health each and every day”. The celebration was aimed at sensitizing staff members on the importance of taking care of the environment in order to promote a clean environment and ultimately advancing provision of quality health.
The hospital environment is one of the critical areas that has to comply with legislature such as the National Environmental Management Act: Waste Act 59 of 2008 which addresses the safe disposal of healthcare waste in order to ensure the safety of patients, staff and the environment. This is achieved through proper healthcare waste segregation and destruction which is monitored by the hospital’s environmental health practitioners. Staff members were educated on ways to keep their immediate environments safe and ways to assist the global environment with the fight against climate change such as reducing the production of waste, reuse and recycling of materials. The activities of the day included fun games and quizzes that tested staff knowledge on how communicable diseases such as TB, Cholera, and Hepatitis etc. can be spread if the hospital environment is not clean and taken care of. Great prizes were won and staff engaged on a fun photo booth in line with the event’s theme. The day ended on a high note were staff enjoyed themed cupcakes.
