PHC directs KP govt to submit report on hospital waste

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday directed the provincial government to submit a report on Waste Management Plan and expenditure spent on disposal of hospitals, clinical and medical waste within two weeks.

A division bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Ikramullah Khan issued the directions in a writ petition filed against the provincial government and both the public and private hospitals for non-disposal of the waste that spread various diseases and pollution.

A lawyer Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel had filed the writ petition. The bench also sought a report of employees working for disposal of waste and committees working for medical waste disposal and about the salaries and allowances paid to them for the purpose.

The court asked secretary local government and director general Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to submit comments within 14 days in the petition. The KP government, through chief secretary, secretary local government, hospital directors of Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatababad Medical Complex, Health Regulatory Authority through its chairman and EPA were made parties to the petition.

The petitioner also pointed out that there was only one burn 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. He pointed out that there was a threat to the lives of citizens in the shape of infectious diseases from the medical waste and environmental pollution. The court adjourned the case till February 28.