Faisalabad: Life in cleaner and healthier environment right of every citizen and nature gave humanity with sufficient bounty to avail this facility.
Creeks and streams with fresh water, flowing rivers, waterfalls, forests, swamps, vegetation, eco-system and snow-capped mountain peaks – all gifts of in nature for people in balanced circuit, live healthy life. But, over decades, massive human activity in different sectors in title of development created an imbalance in nature schema affecting air water quality and solid waste generation, including hospital waste.
This trend of improper disposal of hospital waste often challenge in development countries like Pakistan where people usually evade compliance with sanitary and environmental laws. Therefore, citizens, especially of metropolitan areas more exposed to the health hazards associated with hospital waste, and Faisalabad is no exception to this phenomenon.
Abode of about four million people, city generates 1600 ton daily solid waste, including hospital waste, which is disposed of untreated or thrown in open, exposing residents of this third largest city of country to a serious health hazard. How many of private hospitals, clinics, laboratories and dispensaries in this habit over years of neglect of waste disposal code and law in as a result in distribute of infectious diseases. Except main city sanatoriums, there are 16 rural health centers in district, including one in Tehsil Chak Jumra, two in Tehsil Sadar, four people each in Tehsil Samundri and Tehsil Jaranwala and five in Tehsil Tandlianwala.
According to official statistics, there are four teaching hospitals in main city with six Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals (THQ) and 167 Primary Health Units (BHUs) throughout the district, in addition to the five major private hospitals and many of laboratories and a clinic where hundreds of Thousands of patients visit every day. These settlements generate hundreds of kilogram of clinical waste daily, major chunk of which is either discarded raw, or thrown in Open.
“We have 19 waste incineration plants installed. in various parts of area for hospital waste disposal in in a safer way,” a spokesman said. for Department of Health Muhammad Mudassar. But this number of waste incineration plants were not enough for treat solid medical waste. Most of in private hospitals, clinics, dispensaries and laboratories often throw clinical waste in open like easy way of its disposal. But it’s bad and government should to strictly force them to observe sanitary rules and install waste incineration plants. Otherwise they should be heavily fined and their facilities should be sealed, he recommended.
He said it’s apathy that hospitals making billions of rupees annually were not inclined to install waste incineration plants or the removal of their waste to the nearest incineration plant for proper disposal.
Dr. Shujauddin, Health Expert, also had the same views. He said that the capacity of installed waste incinerators were not enough to treat so much waste. “How so just 19 incinerators may be enough to treat clinical waste of third largest city of a country with about four million people,” he said. “Therefore, it was necessary that the leadership of health resorts maintain health rules and rules in sorting, collecting, storing, transporting and processing of clinical waste. “Clinical waste, mainly consisting of used syringes, needles, IV sets, broken vials, ampoules, scalpels, blades, human body parts, saws, dressings, bandages, gauze, blood, cotton wool, gloves, masks, thermometers, blood pressure monitors, drugs, glasses, dishes, glass slides, coverslips, gases and plastics material.
Burning this waste in the incinerator ensures that no toxic gas is released, polluting the environment. environment and affect human health. But when he is not located of right, he can transmit various contagious diseases like hepatitis, HIV, cancer, bronchitis, asthma and skin irritation, etc.
When contacted, the Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Protection, Farhat Abbas Kamoka, admitted that only 19 incinerators had been installed. in in city Dispose of of clinical waste. outside of these, one waste incinerator was out-of- order, three were under up-The gradation process and the rest were fully functional. “Our teams remain active in field and regularly visit hospitals and clinics to control the disposal of medical waste,” he said. Kamoka said hundreds of kilograms of medical waste is processed daily in three major government hospitals including Allied Hospital, District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) and Ghulam Muhammadabad General Hospital. “Waste recycling capacity of incinerator in The general hospital was 55-60 kg per hour and operated on full ability, he added.
Similarly, he reported that the recycling potential of DHQ hospital incinerator produced 50 kg per hour and disposed of of 350 kg of medical waste daily. “It double-chamber waste incineration plant and is currently being upgraded to a four-chamber to increase its capacity. Similarly, the Allied Hospital incinerator was also working on my full capacity of dispose of of 120 kg of waste per hour.
This plant treats 450 to 500 kg of medical waste daily as incinerators at government hospitals also used for disposal of private hospital waste, he said. added. Although the authorities claim that on fingers to deal with this dilemma, there are still problems of correct implementation of Health Code and provincial authorities should take into account of situation for avoid any outbreak of illness.
