Hospital waste smuggling imperils public health

Hygiene-conscious individuals diligently scrub their cutlery with antibacterial dish soap, hoping that the food prepared in their kitchens would be safe for their family’s consumption. Unfortunately, few would ever realize that disinfecting their favourite dinner set is of no use when the plates and bowls themselves are the recycled remnants of a used urine bag lying in a hospital’s waste room.

The Punjab government's failure to control the theft and improper disposal of hospital waste, particularly plastic waste, has led to the manufacture and sale of harmful products made from stolen plastic waste, which can contribute towards a serious public health emergency.

According to a report obtained from the Punjab Health Department, any given hospital generates over 300 kilograms of medical waste on a daily basis, out of which 71 per cent comprises of plastic, 13 per cent is glass, 5.7 per cent is cotton and dressings while the remaining 0.4 per cent constitutes of gloves and diapers, all of which originate mainly from infectious areas like labs, cancer wards and emergency wards.

Mushtaq Ahmed, a scrap and junk dealer, revealed that various hospitals sold plastic waste, including drips, syringes, and other items to scrap dealers. “We resell the medical leftovers for profit. It is hard to confirm where these items end up or how they are used,” shrugged Ahmed.

“Alarmingly, 30 to 40 per cent of the plastic hospital waste is allegedly stolen and recycled into plastic utensils, which are sold at low prices in the market. This plastic waste includes used drip sets, injections, urine bags, gloves, feeding tubes, and other materials. A private company is responsible for collecting and disposing off all types of waste from hospitals across Punjab, including Lahore, which has around 50 public and over 1,000 private hospitals,” disclosed Muhammad Sabir, Associate Professor of Medical Education at a private medical college.

According to Naseemur Rehman Shah, Director of the Environment Protection Department, hospital waste can be disposed through two methods, as per the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2014, that is either by burning or by burying. “However, these guidelines are not being implemented by hospitals, which have been directed to dispose their waste at the source to prevent theft and the spread of germs during transportation. Hospital plastic waste is stolen and sold during transportation, then crushed and recycled into low-quality products like glasses, plates, and utensils, which are harmful to health,” explained Shah, who further revealed that the department had advised the government to establish disposal facilities at the source, but this was yet to be implemented.

It is worth mentioning that the Punjab government had collaborated with the Lahore Waste Management Company, Environmental Protection Department, and the Punjab Blood Transfusion Authority to develop a joint plan, under which incinerators were installed in Lahore and 26 districts to dispose off medical waste amounting to almost160,000 kilograms per month.

Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, Former Special Secretary of Secondary Health and Medical Education Raja Mansoor Ahmed stated that Punjab was installing more incinerators in hospitals. “Efforts are underway to improve waste management, and training will be provided to hospital staff to prevent waste theft and misuse. The government and Punjab Health Department will work together to ensure proper waste disposal and raise awareness about the dangers of using cheap plastic products,” asserted Ahmed.