Covid-19 Related Waste Management Absent From Hospitals

The authorities have yet to demonstrate any effort to safely manage coronavirus-related medical waste while the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll across Bangladesh.

Covid-19 related waste from hospitals is widely spreading in urban areas. But with the exception of a few very conscious hospitals and institutions, the same kind of indifference can be seen. Many are throwing Coronavirus safety equipment on the road after use. These are washed away in the rainwater and drained. Going from the drain to the bottom of the river and then into the sea is destroying biodiversity and the environment. Masks can be seen in various trees of the capital, in the alleys and drains of the city. Hand gloves are also being thrown away.

As per the rules, these wastes should be disinfected and then packed in safety bags (biosafety bags). With the exception of one or two, hospitals are not keeping waste properly. In order to prevent coronavirus infection, washing hands with soap and water and maintaining physical distance as well as wearing a mask is important. There is no alternative to save lives at the moment.

Thus, about 13 million tons of plastic waste are going to the sea every year in the world. Severe air pollution occurs when these are burned openly, as is a common waste. On the other hand, Covid-19 related protective materials are basically disposable plastic products. These products can survive for years on land or in water. Covid-19 related waste is being mixed with the general waste in the house. The city corporation should take separate initiatives in the management of which. But it turns out that thousands of cleaners are collecting, transporting, dumping, or destroying coronavirus-related waste without any protection. Those can be infected at any moment. Many Covid-19 patients across the country are receiving treatment from home. They are all using masks-gloves and other protective equipment. Experts say that if these are not kept indoors properly or if they are shared together with household waste, the health risks will increase.

A study by BRAC, a non-governmental development organization, found that only 6.6 percent of health care and medical waste was properly managed in the Covid-19 epidemic. The remaining 93 percent is being thrown here and there!

Prism Bangladesh is the only non-governmental organization dealing with medical waste. In the early days of Coronavirus, they were working together with two city corporations to collect waste from various hospitals and homes. Sources, who did not want to disclose names, said that although the city corporation was active in the matter at the beginning, now no one is taking action.

According to a survey conducted by three non-governmental organizations, 206.21 tons of Covid-19 related waste is being generated every day in the Dhaka metropolis alone. More than 49 percent of city dwellers keep corona waste along with other waste and hand it over to city corporation employees. Public health experts say city corporations need to streamline their waste management systems. Measures should be taken to separate each type of waste at its source, collect, transport, dump and destroy it separately. The personal safety of the cleaning staff must also be ensured.

According to sources, there are 500 public and private hospitals in the capital. Apart from Sheikh Hasina Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, there is no medical waste management solution with modern microwave technology. However, Coronavirus disease is not treated here. Earlier, these wastes were incinerated in several hospitals in the country, including Dhaka. But now they are almost useless. There is no management of such waste treatment in the divisional cities outside Dhaka. As a result, dirt is being taken from the hospitals and buried somewhere in the ground. It is being dumped somewhere in the garbage dump. Somewhere the air is being poisoned by burning with fire. This increases the risk of health risks and infections.

It is the responsibility of the city to find a road that does not have masks or gloves. Sensitive protection materials such as PPE have also been discarded. From here, about 40,000 street children outside the professional cleaning staff are collecting various items from these wastes and selling them in different local markets. As a result, these street children, which are outside the scope of monitoring, are also at extreme risk. Infections are also spreading through the air from used materials.

In this context, public health expert Dr Mushtaq Hossain said, many coronavirus patients across the country are receiving treatment from home. They are all wearing masks-gloves and other protective equipment. If these are not kept properly inside the house or if they are shared together with household waste, the health risk will be huge. If any negligence occurs in the management of these wastes, there will be a risk of spreading mass infection.

Considering the risk of Covid-19 related waste, the Department of Environment wrote to hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centers on June 13 last year to follow five guidelines for proper management. The instructions include training of cleaning staff on the process of segregation of Covid-19 waste in every healthcare institution, filling two-thirds of the waste in two-tiered plastic bags, tying the mouth of the bag tightly, and keeping it in a separate bin. However, despite training a small number of cleaners in government hospitals, there is no such initiative in private hospitals. Even in these institutions, there is no urge to remove waste.