A HEALTH facility at the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill site aback of Eccles, East Bank, Demerara, to cater for the health needs of landfill recyclers, as well as other employees engaged in the removal and compacting of solid waste at the location, was commissioned yesterday.

Recyclers are persons who search and sort solid waste on landfill sites.
The initiative was accomplished through a partnership involving the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Local Government (which has responsibility for developing the site), the Ministry of Health which is providing the health care, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) which provided funding.
In addition, there’s Haidi, an Italian firm with responsibility for providing site supervision to ensure the site is developed according to plan, and BK International which has overall responsibility for the removal and management of the waste at the landfill site, as well as the construction of the health facility.
Present also at the commissioning were IDB Consultant, Dr. Peter Cohen; PAHO/WHO Representative Dr. Malhi Cho; Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Joseph Hamilton; Ministry of Local Government official Gordon Gilkes; BK Office Manager Egan Bazilio; Waste Management Consultant Rufus Lewis and Operations Manager Mr. Patterson and Baldeo James, Regional Health Services Officer. Also witnessing the ceremony were Medex Jasmin Jones and staff of the Agricola Health Centre and others. Chairperson was Consultant Audreyanna Thomas.
BK Office Manager Bazilio said that BK was pleased to be associated with the Ministry of Health in the provision of the service: “We are quite happy with the symbiotic relationship since this health centre will help save a tremendous amount of time which would normally be spent if the workers were to travel long distances to Georgetown, Diamond or Agricola Health Centres to seek medical attention. But today, the service is being brought on site where the environment is ideally suited for them.”
Bazilio said the facility is highly justifiable because in a landfill site, the sorting of solid waste for recycling exposes the recyclers, potentially, to direct and indirect risks. Direct risks would come from injuries from sharps, lifting of heavy materials and from the disposal of untreated medical waste. Indirect risks would come from contaminated waste material and the spread of communicable diseases such as hepatitis and typhoid, he explained.
In 2012, the BK landfill staff, recognising potential risks, established a technical relationship with the nearest medical centre at Agricola. That centre provided a once monthly service, evaluating and treating the 60-odd recycling workers as well as others, totalling more than 100 who daily occupy the same geographical space at the landfill site.
Agricola Health Centre was detailed to respond to this particular health need. The job was undertaken faithfully and reliably by the medex and staff, but there were limitations, since the patients were being seen under a hut, and there was no adequate arrangement in place to facilitate private examinations.
Upon the advice of BK International, the Ministry of Health proceeded to have the services upgraded to a full-fledged health centre with a permanent medical staff with one doctor, one Medex, a pharmacist and one nurse. Work commenced last January and was recently completed.
Hamilton spoke on behalf of Minister of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran who was unable to attend because he had to be at a Cabinet Meeting.
Hamilton congratulated all the stakeholders, particularly Medex Jones and her hard working health team from Agricola Health Centre who consistently worked with the beneficiaries and never shied away from their responsibility. He also had kudos for the sterling contribution of an employee identified as Lloyd Stanton who teamed up with Mr. Baldeo James to get the work done.
And declaring that the partnership has not ended, Hamilton said, “I would see this as the beginning of a process. The partnership has not ended, but has started today.”
He disclosed that the Ministry of Local Government is working to establish regional landfill sites, so the stakeholders will have to go to other communities where landfill sites are to be established.