Bengaluru-based HealthCare Global Enterprises (HCG) has become a mercury-free hospital by eliminating mercury-based medical measuring devices to promote more stringent medical hygiene and eco-friendly practices.

HCG phased out mercury-based instruments such as thermometers, sphygmomanometers, blood pressure monitoring devices, gastrointestinal devices, calibrators, containing mercury across all 26 centres in India. Through this initiative, HCG supports the deployment of accurate and safer non-mercury alternatives. This will provide safe health care to patients, safe work environment for healthcare workers and decreases the load on the environment, making the earth a safer place to live.

Mercury and its various compounds lead to a range of serious health impacts on the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, lungs, and kidneys. In addition, mercury is quite harmful to foetuses, children, and young adults. It is used in thermometers, blood pressure monitors, gastrointestinal devices, and other medical items.

Significant amounts of liquid elemental mercury turn into a gas at room temperature, possibly exposing nearby employees or patients to extremely dangerous levels.  Therefore, the management teams of all HCG facilities throughout India are adhering to the regulations set forth in the Government of India's Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling and Trans-boundary Movement) Rules 2008 for the handling, storage, treatment, and disposal of hazardous mercury waste while the replacement of mercury-based equipment and products.  These equipments are replaced with aneroid or digital machines thus making hospitals a safe working space with mercury-free zone.