The Punjab Health Department (PHD) has issued work orders to install double chamber good quality incinerator in 13 districts of the province to properly dispose off the hospital waste. Such incinerators have already been installed in 18 districts of the province by the provincial health department which not only dispose off the hospital waste but also discourage the illegal recycling of it.

This was revealed during a meeting convened by the provincial environment department here on Wednesday with Provincial Secretary Environment Captain Saif Anjum (Retd) in the chair. The meeting reviewed the steps being taken under the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2014 in the hospitals of the province.

The spokesman of the environment protection department, Naseem-ur-Rehman informed the meeting that all the district officers, government and private hospitals have been written to ensure implementation on the above-mentioned rules. The department, which has already installed incinerators in 18 districts, has issued work orders to install good quality machines in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Chiniot, Vehari, Pakpattan, Kasur, Sheikhpura, Bahawalpur, Bhakkar, Sargodha, Rajanpur, Sahiwal etc. The department has also received the environment impact assessment (EIA) reports.

The installation firm or contractor would be bound to run these incinerators for three years. The Secretary Environment Protection Department issued directives to the medical superintendents of all the hospitals to stop usage of recycling of dangerous hospital wastes besides improving cleanliness in hospitals to arrest further spread of diseases.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017