Crusher to shred medical waste

The Environment Protection Department has unearthed a crusher installed at Allied Hospital to shred medical waste for sale to scrap dealers.

An environment department official was assigned an inquiry into the issue during a meeting chaired by the deputy commissioner to review steps to curb smog. The inquiry was ordered over reports that the administration of the hospital was not properly operating an incinerator to dispose of medical waste in accordance with scientific standards and had installed a plastic crusher without getting a no objection certificate from the department. In the initial report, the investigation officer has pointed out violations of the Punjab Environment Protection Act 1997 and declared that the plastic crushing process is against the sections 14, 16, 19 and 20 of Punjab Hospital Waste Management Rules 2014. Through the rules, the medical institutions and hospitals had been ordered to install incinerators with the approval of the Environment Department and not to process infectious medical waste through crushers.

But the inquiry report states, according to sources that at Allied Hospital infectious and hazardous medical waste like syringes, blood bags, drip bottles and needles are being passing through a crusher machine and the plastic is packed in sacks and handed over to scrap vendors. The waste is melted and converted into small granules for transportation to plastic units across the country.

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The report estimates that According to conservative estimates that more than 300kg of hazardous plastic is being crushed daily in violation of environment laws and a large amount has been earned through sale of the hazardous waste since 2018.

The officials concerned have reportedly submitted their recommendations regarding action over the matter to the director general EPD Punjab. An environment tribunal can impose a fine of up to Rs5 million under section 17 of PEPA 1997.

The department also sent queries to the medical superintendent of Allied Hospital Faisalabad, seeking record of waste segregation, collection points, management plan and constitution of hospital waste management committee.

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Dr Khurram Altaf, Medical Superintendent of Allied Hospital, told The Express Tribune that the hospital had an agreement with the Faisalabad Solid Waste Management Company to lift medical waste because its incinerator is outdated and non-functional. “We have placed an order to purchase an imported incinerator,” he said.

When asked about operation of crusher without NOC of environment department, he said the hospital authorities would sort out the matter soon and no income was earned from the waste.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2020.