PHC moved against pathetic disposal of hospitals’ waste

SOPs on waste management not being followed

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) was moved on Saturday against the provincial government and both the public and private hospitals for non-disposal of the waste that is spreading various diseases and pollution in the
province.

A lawyer, Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel, filed the writ petition through another lawyer Muhibullah Kakakhel seeking court directions for safe disposal of the waste of the government and private hospitals and doctors’ clinics. 

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, through chief secretary, secretary local government, hospital directors of LRH, KTH and HMC, Health Regulatory Authority through its chairman and Environmental Protection Agency
were made parties in the petition.

In interim relief, the petitioner requested the court to direct the respondents to follow SOPs provided in the law and submit the waste management plan and report about expenditure made on waste of hospitals and clinics.

The court was also requested to issue direction for submission of report of employees working for disposal of waste and report of committees working for disposing medical waste and about their salaries and allowances for this purpose.

It was stated that the petitioner had raised the issue in the public interest as it concerned hospitals and medical waste.

It was pointed out that certain laws have been passed both by the federal and provincial governments relating to medical waste, but those are Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Act, 2014 wherein rules have been framed including Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005.

It was submitted that the petitioner regularly visits public and private hospitals and laboratories in the province but the hospitals’ management is not complying with the SOPs issued by the government institutions mentioned in the acts and rules.

The petitioner also claimed that he made a questionnaire and spent a few months in research about whether the public and private hospitals as well as private laboratories are following the SOPs or not.

In the questionnaire, the questions about waste collection, storage and disposal were received negative answers and he was astonished to know that there was no incinerator in the hospitals for the disposal of the
medical, hospital and clinical wastes.

It was pointed out that there was only one burning chamber in the KTH adjacent to doctors’ hostel, which
is injurious to health of the public at large and the
locality because of extreme pollution.

It said there was no Waste Management Committee in the hospitals, adding that the PTI-led provincial government was raising a slogan of change but did not bring change in the hospitals about disposal of waste.

He pointed out that there was threat to the life of citizens in the shape of infectious diseases from the medical waste and also causing a problem of environmental pollution.

He requested the court to direct the respondents to act in accordance with law and adopt the SOPs for disposal of the waste.