Blames City Mayor for making inaccurate statement
The Management of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has said that it views with disappointment and grave concern “ the inaccurate statement made by the Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green” in an article published in the Monday, August 10, 2009, edition of the Kaieteur News regarding the dumping of hazardous materials.

Alluding to the article captioned “Health Officials were alerted about dumping syringes before” appearing on page 11, the GHPC said that Mayor Green “sought to make the GPHC culpable for the dumping of the syringes and other materials along the Lamaha Street Canal, Georgetown.”

Clearly distancing itself from the dumping of hazardous materials which were discovered, the GPHC stated categorically that it is in no way associated with such practices. “We would like to firmly state that we have always undertaken the correct procedure of waste disposal, which is in accordance with World Health Organisation’s (WHO) standards,” the Corporation affirmed.

Management, in a press release, said it is indeed surprised that Mayor Hamilton Green would make such an assumption to the press without making contact with the hospital for verification. It further stated that Mr. Green admitted to not having all the facts, but added that clearly his “suspicion” fell on the GPHC. 

The Corporation wishes to point out that statements which bring an organisation into disrepute should not be made based on suspicions, but on facts.

It further affirmed that it prides itself on the various measures employed over the years; and procedures continue to put in place to ensure that all our hazardous materials are disposed of in a manner which does not pose any danger to members of the public.

The release outlined that, as is mandated by the Ministry of Health, all medical infectious waste generated within the GPHC are safely collected daily by the hospital’s sanitation department staff and taken for temporary storage in a regulated/authorised access- only Secondary Holding Unit situated in the northwestern end of the northern compound (Lamaha and Thomas Streets). Thereafter, the Mayor and City Council’s Solid Waste Management Department would remove the waste on a scheduled basis.

Notwithstanding, it said, the hospital has been working in collaboration with the Guyana Safer Injection Project (GSIP) for the past five years – educating staff members about the proper disposal methods for such materials.  Staff members are constantly undergoing training in this area to ensure that their own safety and that of the general public is not compromised in any way.

Additionally, staff members are currently undergoing further training, via several workshops, on a technologically improved Healthcare Waste Management System, which will enable them to sterilize all infectious waste generated at this facility, the release outlined.

”That apart, we also have active Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Quality Assurance (QA) departments which ensure that even within the hospital, the correct method is used to store such materials,” the GPHC assured.