We have been covering the issue of reckless disposal of hospital waste and the health hazards they pose to the public for some years now. Unfortunately, our words have fallen on deaf ears of the management of hospitals and diagnostic centres. The ruling by the High Court on April 9, that the government form a three-member committee at all eight divisions to monitor and supervise medical waste management at these health institutions comes as a much welcome piece of news. The HC has also asked why ETPs should not be set up in all hospitals and diagnostic centres.

This careless behaviour is most apparent outside public hospitals where used products like syringes, bandage dressings and used saline bags can be seen littering pavements and clogging the drains. The problem of course is that these often are repackaged, particularly syringes, to be sold by spurious companies to unsuspecting customers.

The rules have existed for some time now, and we hope the implementation and enforcement of those would be effected immediately. With the explosion of diagnostic centres and hospitals all over the country, it is high time also that authorities make it mandatory for such institutions to set up effluent treatment plants (ETP) so that liquid medical waste may be treated before discharge into sewerage lines that end in our water systems. Proper waste management practices must be tagged to granting of or renewal of license because public health cannot be allowed to be trifled with.