FAISALABAD, Dec 15: The District Officer (Environment) has reportedly issued notices to some two dozen local hospitals for improper dumping of medical waste.

Sources say that notices have been issued to Mother Care Hospital, Khadija Mehmood Trust Hospital, Al-Shafa Medical Centre, Senate Rafil Hospital, Al-Rehman Hospital, Best Hospital, Rafique Maternity Hospital, Iqbal Hospital, Fahmeeda Ilyas Hospital, Tahir Hospital, Aziz Fatima Trust Hospital, Darul Sehat, Sahil Hospital, Mian Muhammad Trust Hospital, Ali Hospital, Nawaz Medicare and Rathore Hospital.

All these hospitals are found involved in throwing hospital waste in open places and in municipal depots posing a serious health hazard. Local health and environmental protection departments have failed to check the dangerous trend of dumping the hospital waste and recycling of used syringes in hospitals and clinics.

A survey gives out that the government and privately-run hospitals and dispensaries are throwing their waste either in open places or in filth depots of local councils.

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

Medical waste management has become an increasingly important issue not only due to the generation of significant quantity of wastes but also because of the fear of blood-borne disease, like AIDS and hepatitis B.

A survey conducted by the local Environment department reveals that there is no proper infrastructure in the government and private hospitals due to which the hospital waste especially bandages, body parts, blood samples and disposable syringes could be seen around open places of hospitals, dispensaries and clinics in almost all parts of the city.

Insiders claim that Health department officials and other authorities concerned are playing havoc with the situation as they are receiving heavy bribes from owners of private hospitals and clinics for not taking action against them.

Not even a single owner of any private hospital or the officer concerned of the state-run health institution has so far been penalized for negligence in dumping the hospital waste.