Asia Regional Conference The Asia Regional Conference on Mercury-Free Healthcare: Phasing-out mercury-containing fever thermometers and sphygmomanometers was organized by HCWH-AP, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Development Program-Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF) Global Healthcare Waste project. In 2006, the Southeast Asia Conference on Mercury in Health Care held in the Philippines prompted action in the Philippines on the use of mercury devices in the health care sector and its subsequent consequences to global health andthe environment. In 2008, the WHO and HCWH launched the Global Initiative to substitute mercury-based medical devices with safer, affordable and accurate alternatives. The Asia Regional Conference came several years after the first mercury-free conference initiative. It was designed to learn from the success that the Philippine health sector has had in substituting mercury-based medical measuring devices with safe, accurate, and affordable alternatives, while also looking into challenges...
