A good number of hospitals in Narayanganj keep dumping medical waste in the open, ignoring the effect of this waste on the environment and the human health.
Locals alleged the situation has worsened to this extent as there are no regulations in place to ensure proper medical waste management.
Although the Ministry of Environment and Forests formulated a draft regulation in 2008, it has not been finalized yet.
According to the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC), a total of 101 hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centers are operating in the city.
NCC sources said the City Corporation and Prism Bangladesh Foundation signed an agreement for proper management of medical waste. Besides, the NCC directed all the hospitals and clinics to sign contracts with Prism for the proper disposal of medical waste.
However, only 86 hospitals and clinics have followed the directive and signed agreements with Prism for the disposal of their medical waste, while the rest are dumping the waste in their old fashion.
The two government hospitals in the city -- 300-bed Hospital and Narayanganj General Hospital -- are yet to sign contracts with Prism.
Visiting the 300-bed Hospital, the UNB correspondent found that medical waste is being thrown in open places, surrounded by brick walls, in front of the hospital’s outpatient department.
The medical waste comprises of various chemicals and items, including syringes, stitches, blood, pooled cotton, tumors, gauze bandages, hand-gloves, drugs, drug-bottles, blood bags, and saline bags.
The malpractice has put the public at risk of contracting various infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, and various skin diseases.
Asked about the mismanagement, 300-bed Hospital’s Dr Abu Jaher said: “We’re dumping medical waste here in an open spot, surrounded by walls in front of the hospital, due to the shortage of space.”
He said they had informed the city corporation that the medical waste needed to be removed from the spot. “But they didn’t respond to our call,” he continued.
The situation of medical waste management at Narayanganj General Hospital was found to be even worse, as it does not even have any specific spot for dumping the waste.
All the medical waste from Narayanganj General Hospital are being dumped on the approach road of the hospital, which is regularly used by patients and locals.
The medical waste management draft regulation instructs dumping waste in a separated and preserved place and disposing of them in proper ways.
Contacted, Asaduzzaman, resident medical officer of the Narayanganj General Hospital, said: “We do not have any specific place for waste disposal. The city corporation generally takes away the waste we throw near the approach road.”
Sheikh Mustafa Ali, medical officer of NCC, claimed that it is not their duty to collect medical waste. “We only collect regular waste; hospitals themselves must destroy their medical waste, and they have been instructed to sign contracts with Prism for that,” he added.
Md Faizur Rahman, inspector manager of Prism Bangladesh, said although most of the hospitals in the city had contracts with them, the two government hospitals and some others did not.
“We maintain regular contact with them. We’ve sent proposals to these hospitals about a month ago. If they do sign contracts with us, we’ll start collecting their medical waste,” he added.