KARACHI: The incinerator at the Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital (LGH), Karachi, has been out of order for several months and the hospital administration has been unable to get it repaired during this period.

The machine is used for the disposal of medical waste, including disposable syringes, drips, urine or blood bags, needles, fluids and other waste, which is harmful to medical staff and the environment if not safely disposed of.

The incinerator developed some fault several months ago, and needs immediate repair. The LGH administration is disposing of medical waste through private vehicles, posing a serious threat to visiting patients at the hospital and the environment.

An official at the Lyari hospital told the PPI news agency: “The hospital generates a big quantity of infected and non-infected medical waste on a daily basis out [of] which infected medical waste such as syringes, drips, urine or blood bags, needles, fluids and other used items are disinfected through steriliser, but this machine has not been working for several months.”

At present, the hazardous material is taken to an unknown location through private trucks.

Medical superintendent of the Lyari General Hospital Dr Agha Zubair was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2020