PHC for stakeholders’ role in disposal of hospital waste

LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission held a consultative meeting with all the key stakeholders for implementation of the Minimum Service Delivery Standards related to the Punjab Hospital Waste Management Rules 2014.

According to a handout issued here on Wednesday, the meeting was chaired by PHC Chief Operating Officer Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan. Clinical Governance and Organisational Standards Director Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Salariya briefed the participants on the applicable laws, responsibilities of the departments, local bodies, municipal and town committees and various functionaries in hospitals. Senior officers of the related government departments, representatives from solid waste management companies and managers of the private hospitals from all over Punjab participated in the meeting.

The participants discussed issues being faced by the hospitals, and stressed that all the agencies and departments concerned should actively play their assigned role in ensuring proper disposal of infectious waste on a regular basis. They recommended imparting training to the staff concerned to ensure implementation of the rules and regulations and establish a robust system of monitoring. The participants were apprised that there was a need to enhance inter-agency coordination and collaboration and to activate the provincial advisory committee and the divisional and district supervisory committees for improved monitoring. The meeting also highlighted that the Provincial Sustainable Development Fund be operationalised.

In order to resolve the issues of interpretation of the international guidelines vis-a-vis Punjab Hospital Waste Management Rules 2014, it was decided to constitute a technical working group comprising the representatives of the PHC, Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department, Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, Environment Protection Department and Hepatitis Control Programme for clarifying the required actions and roles of the executing agencies. It was also stated that all hospitals would ensure proper constitution of waste management teams and designation of duties and roles to be performed by each member. It was appreciated that the Punjab Environmental Protection Council, under Section III of the PEPA 1997 (amended 2012) had been made functional and had conducted three meetings during the last year.

Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan said that prior to the PHC, hospital waste management was not considered a major issue. He mentioned different steps taken by the PHC for ensuring quality in health service delivery and the safety of patients and the population at large. He specifically talked about the training of staff of the healthcare establishments. “The waste management must not be considered ‘business as usual’ and all concerned must join hands,” he added. PHC Licensing and Accreditation Director Dr Muhammad Anwar Janjua shared the data, findings and observations from the inspections of hospitals to sensitise the participants about the gravity of the situation and the rules framed thereunder.