PIMS to operationalise two modern incinerators next month

Islamabad: After receiving a modern, imported incinerator early this month, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences has planned to operationalise it early next month to burn its infectious waste by itself.

Another incinerator will reach the hospital, the largest government one in Islamabad, in December and it, too, will be operational by the end of the month. Currently, the PIMS has contracted out the collection and incineration of its infectious waste to the Rawalpindi-based and Attock Refinery Limited-owned National Cleaner Production Centre, while the non-infectious waste is disposed of by the city’s civic agency, CDA. The NCPC charges it Rs80 per kg for the service with the amount totalling more than Rs10 million annually.

According to PIMS executive director Dr Raja Amjad Mehmood, the installation of the incinerator is underway. "We've put the incinerator in place, while work is underway to supply electricity, gas and water to it. The next week, a foreign team will ready it for the test run, which is likely to take place in the first week of December. The incinerator will become operational in the first week of December," he told 'The News'.

The PIMS executive director said the hospital would get another incinerator in the next month, which would be operationalised by the end of the month. He said each incinerator had a capacity to burn 80-100kg waste an hour, while the supplier was bound by contract to ensure its operation and maintenance for three years.

Dr Raja Amjad said the installation of two incinerators would prevent halt to waste incineration. “Even if one (incinerator) goes out of order, the other will continue burning waste and thus, ruling out the possibility of the suspension of waste incineration,” he said. The PIMS ED said the hospital had the Pak-EPA NOC for the installation and operation of the incinerators.