Medical waste dumped in open poses serious threat to public health

Citizens urge govt to ensure compliance with proper procedures

SARGODHA: Most public and private sector hospitals in the city are violating prescribed procedures for disposing of hazardous waste.

Hospitals, clinics and laboratories are dumping their waste which included needles, scalpels, laboratory waste, blood products, pathological wastes and etc openly at different garbage dumping points.



In view of the situation, residents of the city have shown reservations and said that various medical outlets have been violating prescribed rules and ignoring standard instructions in this regard. They said hazardous waste can be witnessed at different garbage heaps in the city.

They added that there are hundreds of laboratories and clinics operating in the city without any regulatory mechanism. They urged the authorities concerned to take up the matter of open garbage dumping of hospital waste and ensure compliance with proper procedures.

Meanwhile, the official of health department said all hospitals should dispose of their infected waste through proper method keeping in view the environmental rules. He added that hospital waste should not be mixed with the household garbage. He maintained that hospitals and laboratories were bound to dump waste in separate bags of different colours and later it should be burnt.

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He said hospital waste may lead to the spread of various diseases, including those caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria, many of which evolve at health facilities. Besides, waste dumped in the open is a breeding site for mosquitoes as well as for flies. Liquid waste is routinely discharged into sewerage drains in hospitals that can contaminate drinking water in areas with a faulty sewerage system, he elaborated.

He suggested that hospital waste categorised as hazardous waste should be separated at source and treated in large “green autoclaves” that do not cause air pollution. The official pointed out that a comprehensive policy decision is being taken to bring small clinics and hospitals under hospital waste management system.

An official of district administration said that strict action will be taken against those involved in this illegal activity while the environment department is also collecting their data.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2017.