RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Environment Protection Agency (Punjab-EPA) has taken notice of the improper dumping of infectious medical waste in private and government hospitals, Cantonment General Hospital, and sent 15 cases to its head office for further action against them.

The local environment department had received public complaints about mixing of infectious clinical waste with solid waste.

After this, District Officer Environment Mohammad Nawaz formed three teams to conduct a survey of the city.

During the survey, the teams found heaps of clinical waste along Nullah Leh and on different roadsides.

“We found about 1,000 kilogrammes of clinical waste dumped with solid waste in different parts of the city,” said the district officer environment while talking to Dawn.

He said it was the responsibility of the clinics and hospitals to send their waste to the incinerator installed at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) and Morgah instead of dumping them in the open.

Survey shows heaps of hospital waste dumped along Nullah Leh, roadsides

“The private hospitals and clinics are involved in the mixing of clinical waste with solid waste. This will put lives of scavengers and sweepers in danger because they come in direct contact with the waste.”

He said the EPA teams conducted site inspections and sent reports to Lahore for taking action against the 15 laboratories and hospitals.

The official said the clinics and hospitals were disposing of their waste in solid waste which posed serious threat to the health of the citizens.

These institutions are Ibrar Diagnostic Centre, Peshawar Road; Bio-Lab, Peshawar Road; Cantonment General Hospital, Saddar; Naeem Clinic near Hathi Chowk, Saddar; City Clinic, Saddar; Tariq Clinic, Saddar; Fatima Maternity Home, Dhamial Road, Chungi; Hameed Medical Centre, Dhoke Chaudrian; Nusrat Hospital, Peshawar Road; Nisar Hospital, Peshawar Road; Azmat Rasheed Hospital, Peshawar Road; Al-Madina Medical Centre, Murree; Family Health Care Centre, Murree; Ahsan Clinic, Hathi Chowk, Saddar; Hayat Medical Centre; and Family Health Care Centre, Murree.

It may be mentioned that over 1,000 private hospitals and clinics are operating in the city but they are disposing of their waste without adopting proper methods.

The Punjab government had installed the incinerator at the HFH at a cost of Rs20 million but it is not being fully utilised by the private sector.

According to a senior official, only the DHQ Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, HFH, Bilal Hospital; Nori Hospital, Family Hospital, Islamabad; Railway Hospital and Ali Medical Centre, Gujar Khan, were sending their waste to the incinerator.

He said the incinerator service was free of cost for government hospitals but the board of management Rawalpindi Medical College had fixed Rs20 fee per kg waste for the private hospitals and clinics. In case they also use the transport of the incinerator centre, the fee is Rs25 per kg.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2014