ISLAMABAD: Medical experts urged on Friday disposal of waste at Hospitals are posing grave threat to human health and the environment.
Talking to private news channel Senior Environmental Specialist Dr Rahat Jabeen said the medical waste is not all about the waste, but also the complications that can arise from improper waste management. And one of its greatest complications can be environmental pollution.
Nobody will trace these health problems to our initial bad attitude toward improper disposal of our wastes, he added. It is further stated that eighty per cent of the total prevalent Hepatitis B cases are caused by the improper disposal of hospital waste, he said.
Public health practitioner DR. Saira Asif Iqbal also commented this issue that the hospital waste which requires proper handling includes materials like disposable syringes, drips, urine or blood bags, human body parts, needles fluid and others.
She further added that sanitary workers sort out the waste manually and often disposed the waste together. She also feared that several materials like syringes and bags are reused, putting lives of millions at risk.
Moreover, it was also revealed that government as well as privately-run hospitals and dispensaries are throwing their waste either in open places or in filth depots of local councils, she concluded.
Experts said sanitary workers, particularly children collecting garbage and staff of hospitals, are at high risk of getting infected with viruses. Health experts said that there was dire need to promotes public awareness in this regard and solutions for safe disposal of needles, syringes, and other sharp items.
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