The medical waste management in the port city is in a mess as around 65% private hospitals and diagnostic centres are not disposing medical waste in an environment-friendly manner.
According to the Department of Environment, there are 241 private hospitals, diagnostic and pathological centres currently operating in the city.
Chattagram Seba Sangstha, a service providing agency which collects medical waste from private hospitals and diagnostic centres informed the Dhaka Tribune that only 84 hospitals and diagnostic centres availed its service.
“We are collecting medical waste from only 84 private hospitals and diagnostic centres in the city. We dump and burn the medical waste in Anandabazar area. However, we do not have any incinerator for burning the medical waste scientifically due to its astronomical cost,” said Md Selim Uddin, marketing officer of Chattagram Seba Sangstha.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Dr Md Azizur Rahman Siddiqui, Chittagong district Civil Surgeon said the medical waste was much more hazardous for public health and environment than usual waste, if not managed properly.
“The medical waste is 1,000 times more harmful than household waste. The risk of the medical waste is manifold since most of the private hospitals and diagnostic centres are located in residential and market places which are densely populated,” said the civil surgeon, adding that the Department of Environment is authorised to issue license to a hospital or a diagnostic centre.
“This is very alarming that the medical waste is not managed and processed in an environment-friendly manner. The private hospitals and diagnostic centres manage to get away with violating the rules due to lax monitoring of the authorities concerned,” said SM Nazer Hossain, president (Chittagong division) of Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh.
“There is a three-member committee headed by Director of Chittagong Divisional Health Office to monitor the overall waste management system of hospitals and diagnostic centres in the city,” Sangjucta Das Gupta, assistant director of DoE (Chittagong Metropolitan), adding that they were going to hold a view-exchange meeting in this regard with the stake holders on January 18.
“We will take punitive measure against the errant hospitals and diagnostic centres if they do not abide by the respective rules,” warned the DoE official.
“There are 11 types of medical waste- general, anatomical, pathological, chemical, pharmaceutical, infectious, radioactive, sharp, reusable, liquid and pressurised,” added the assistant director of the DoE.
As per the Medical Waste (management and processing) Rule, 2008, nobody can manage and process medical waste without obtaining license from the concerned authorities. The license shall remain valid up to 3 years from the date of obtaining the license.
Maximum penalty for violating any rule under the Medical Waste (management and processing) Rule, 2008, is two years’ imprisonment, or a maximum fine of Tk10,000, or both.
According to the Medical Waste (management and processing) Rule, 2008, three types of licenses will be issued for separating, packaging, storing and destroying medical waste; collecting and shipping medical waste and purifying, cleaning and removing medical waste.
The rule also asks the license-holders to take necessary measure for managing and processing medical waste without having any adverse impact on the health of human beings and environment, imparting necessary training to the personnel involved in managing and processing the medical waste and safeguarding the workers and employees involved in disposing medical waste from its hazardous substances.
