The government has undertaken an initiative to build medical waste management infrastructure in all public hospitals for a hygienically clean environment.
To this end, a project titled “Hospital-Based Medical Waste Management” has been proposed to be installed in 15 public hospitals in the Planning Commission.
The total cost of its implementation has been estimated to be Tk 214.47 crore.
If the project is implemented, the concerned people believe that the eco-friendly waste management will be introduced in the designated government hospitals while maintaining the international standard.
The objective of the project is to construct 15 (3 government medical college hospitals, one for 4 hospitals in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka, Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka and 10 Sadar Hospitals) by December 2024.
Skilled manpower will be created through training on modern medical waste management in the waste management center established at the end of the project, it adds.
A Panning Commission official said that the PEC (Project Evaluation Committee) meeting was held on December 9 last year after receiving a proposal from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The project has been recommended to present at the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in compliance with the recommendations made at the meeting, he added.
The project proposal says that the risk of death from hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, diphtheria and even AIDS is increasing due to lack of proper management of hospital waste in most of the public and private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers in the country.
Mosammat Nasima Begum, member (secretary) of the socio-economic infrastructure department of the planning commission in charge of the project, said, “The project will build medical waste management infrastructure in government hospitals. This will create the capacity to collect, store, transport, process and remove various medical wastes without any adverse effect on human health and the environment.
“The project will provide medical services in a safe, clean and infection-free environment through proper waste management,” she also mentioned.
According to statistics, 80 percent of the daily waste generated in populated cities is ordinary household waste and 20 percent is medical waste.
This 20 percent of medical waste somehow mixes with 80 percent of general waste, which poses a serious risk to public health.
Therefore, for proper management of waste collection, transportation, treatment and final removal of waste outside health care institutions, waste inside health care institutions will be converted into general waste through disinfection.
Therefore, the Directorate of Health Services has first proposed a government hospital-based medical waste management project for the management of medical waste through the application of 3 methods (autoclaving, incineration and ETP) in 35 hospitals.
The main activities of the project are procurement of 45 medical waste management equipment, non-residential buildings of 15 category A, B, and C facilities, supply services, rental of 2 vehicles, 5 outsourcing services, salary allowance of 3 officers and employees, purchase of 47 furniture, 12 computers and accessories will be purchased, repaired, maintained and rehabilitated.
