The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), together with the team from the Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Waste Management Project (HCWM Project), visited the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) in Cagayan de Oro City on September 25, 2026. The visit focused on strengthening collaboration between the hospital and the project, paving the way for a meaningful partnership. It was also part of UNIDO’s monitoring mission to review the progress of its ongoing initiatives in the Philippines.
The mission was led by Dr. Carmela Centeno, Head of UNIDO’s Responsible Materials and Chemicals Management Unit, together with Raluca Ursu, Project Administrator of the same unit. They were joined by the team from the HCWM Project, composed of representatives from the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), the DENR-Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Service (FASPS), and BAN Toxics. As part of the visit, UNIDO and the HCWM Project team also paid a courtesy call to the DENR-EMB Region 10 Office.
Following an initial visit earlier this year, NMMC, together with the Caraga Regional Hospital in Surigao City and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, comprise the new batch of partners of the HCWM Project in Mindanao..
The HCWM Project aims to improve healthcare waste management in the country, with a special focus on reducing the release and emissions of hazardous substances such as mercury, dioxins and furans. Implemented by the UNIDO and the DENR-EMB, the project receives funding support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with BAN Toxics as the executing partner.
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