ISLAMABAD: After a scandal regarding the sale of infectious waste rocked the hospital, the management of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has appointed 19 officials to ensure that the hospital waste is incinerated on the premises instead of being sold in the open market.

The officials were given new assignments weeks after a waste management cell was established to prevent the sale of hazardous waste. Pims Spokesperson Dr Haider Abbasi, while talking to Dawn, said that the waste management cell has become fully functional.

“Waste is segregated carefully and a record is being maintained to ensure incineration within the hospital; only non-medical waste would go out of the facility,” he said.

“Segregation of the waste is not an easy job,” he said, claiming that at least 5,000 kilogramme of non-medical and 350-500kg infectious waste is collected in the hospital on a daily basis. He added that non-medical waste is dumped out of the hospital while infectious waste is burned.

Spokesperson says hospital produces over 5,000kg of non-medical, medical waste

“Buckets of three colours i.e. red, blue, and yellow have been placed in each department to put biohazardous waste and pharmaceutical waste, such as antibiotics, respectively,” he said. “Executive Director (ED) Dr Naeem Malik is personally monitoring the process to avoid any negligence,” he said.

According to a document, available with Dawn, four officials have been nominated for the operation and maintenance of the incinerator; 15 officials will ensure waste collection from wards and shift to the designated point.

Moreover, an assistant director of security has been directed to ensure the maintenance of the security register by all shift in-charges regarding the functioning of the incinerator till midnight.

It is worth mentioning that hospital waste can become the reason for infections as they contain blood, human parts and sharp surgical instruments among other dangerous materials. Across the globe, incinerators are used to burn such waste.

Since the sale of infectious waste was reported in the media, Pims has been trying to restore its image, as the management faced embarrassment not only at the national level but also at the international level through UN agencies.

It is worth mentioning that on February 27, a vendor hired by the Pims administration to incinerate medical waste on the hospital premises was found involved in the sale of infectious material, such as discarded syringes and blood bags, in cahoots with hospital employees.

Subsequently, a three-member fact-finding committee, headed by Prof of General Surgery Dr S.H. Waqar, was established, with a direction to submit a report within 48 hours.

On March 1, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took notice of the sale of the infectious waste and directed an independent inquiry – to be submitted within two days – instead of an internal inquiry.

Later, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services also took notice of the sale of infectious waste by the Pims employees and the vendor instead of disposing of it in the incinerator.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2023