11 January 2005	Tuesday	29 Ziqa'ad 1425

NAWABSHAH, Jan 10: The People's Medical College Hospital and other privately-run hospitals of the district are dumping hospital waste at open places, posing a threat to human lives.

The hospitals are continuously violating environmental laws and disposing of hospital waste improperly. There is no EDO or DO environment in the district since the introduction of local government system in 2001.

The district government, taluka municipal administration and district health department have failed to check the hazardous trend of dumping hospital waste and reuse of recycled syringes in hospitals and clinics.

It is also noticed that none of clinics and hospitals in the city and rural areas had any arrangement to lift the hospital waste properly. The used syringes are also being resold at local medical stores.

Improper dumping of the hospital waste is said to be the main cause of spread of diseases like Aids and hepatitis. Police have also failed to control the sale of drugs and addicts are found at dump places picking up used syringes.

Incinerator installed at the People's Medical College Hospital at a cost of millions of rupees for safe disposal of hospital waste is not functioning. The medical superintendent of the People's Medical College Hospital, Dr Mahfooz Qureshi, said the incinerator was not functioning due to low pressure of gas and the company responsible for managing it did not provide the gas connection from the main line as per the agreement.

He said the company was informed about the problem and the team met with the SSGC officials and also paid a demand note for getting a new connection from the main line which would be done soon and the incinerator would start functioning.

ANTI-POLIO WALK: The district health department organized an anti-polio walk here on Monday. DCO Usman Panhwar and EDO Dr Ali Nawaz Khoso led the walk which started from the DC high school and terminated at the press club.

Speaking on the occasion, DCO Usman Panhwar said that polio was a menace and the health department was doing its utmost to get rid of it. He said people's cooperation was a must to eradicate the disease and appealed to the residents to administer polio drops to their children.

EDO health Dr Ali Nawaz Khoso said 51 rounds of polio had been completed but Pakistan had not been declared a polio-free country. He said there were countries where polio was eradicated just in four rounds of campaign and emphasized the role of community to cooperate with the health staff and administer their children the anti-polio vaccine.

KILLED: A seven-year-old boy was killed and another seriously injured when a wall fell upon them in Sakrand town on Sunday. Aijaz Ali, son of Murad Khaskheli, and Zakir Solangi were passing through a street when a wall fell upon them. Aijaz died on the spot while Zakir sustained injuries. The injured was admitted to the Sakrand Taluka Hospital for treatment.

GILGIT INCIDENT: The Shia Ulema Council, Nawabshah, in a meeting held at Murtazvi Imambargah here on Sunday, condemned the Gilgit incident and attack on Allama Ziauddin Rizvi. Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Kitayat Hussain Karimi and others said that it was a conspiracy to inflame sectarian clashes.