AFTER media reports on Wednesday about complaints of improper disposal of medical waste by the Woodlands Hospital, which is affecting residents of 110 Carmichael Street, the hospital is maintaining that nothing is wrong with its method of disposal.During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Administrator of the hospital, Deonarine Memraj said that, “Infectious waste management has a protocol by the ministry of which we follow from, the area where they are produced to where they are stored, to where they are placed in red bags, doubled, and put in the bins and then they await pick up.”
However, the residents complained that they are currently facing a health threat with the alleged failure of the neighbouring Woodlands Hospital to properly dispose of their medical waste, leaving loopholes for infecting the surrounding atmosphere.
Memraj, however, said that when the Ministry of Public Health distributed hospital certification to hospitals, the only non-compliance it had was, “We should be having a twice weekly pickup instead of once a week; it should not be here for such a lengthy period of time… and also the areas of disposal and storage is only temporary.”
Meanwhile, Woodlands Hospital has written the facilities management at the Georgetown Public Hospital in charge of the hydroclave, which is used to dispose of medical waste correctly, asking them to increase their days of collection.
The hospital has since received assurance that the request would be looked into and so the problem will be alleviated.