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80 pc hospitals lack medical waste management: Report
Source: Republica, Date: , 2013
KATHMANDU, Jan
26: More than three-fourths of
the hospitals in the country do not practice safe disposal of health-care
waste, states a report issued on Friday.
According to a report published here by the NGO
Center for Public Health and Environmental Developmental (CEPHED), 80.65
percent of hospitals lack mechanisms for disposing of health-care waste such as
used syringes, bandages, body parts and diagnostic samples.
The study conducted by CEPHED at 31 hospitals
shows that 16 percent of the hospitals get their water supplies from badly
protected areas. However, the rest of the hospitals do have acceptable sources
of water.
“This report has shown the poor health quality
of our nation. The government should improve all its services and provide
quality health services,” said Ram Charitra Shah, executive director of CEPHED,
who led a team of researchers to prepare the report.
Similarly, only 22 percent hospitals have
conducted an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). Hospitals that avoided EIA
pose a threat to environment, public health and the entire garbage disposal
system. According to the Environment Act-1997, one should have EIA clearance to
open a hospital, but a significant number of hospitals do not have such
clearance.
“Following the legal provisions on EIA is a
must,” said Keshab Bhattarai, secretary at the Ministry of Science and
Technology.
Likewise, the report shows that the 10 percent
free health service provision has not been implemented at any health
organization. And 35.48 percent of the hospitals lack knowledge about proper
hand-washing practices.
Similarly, 90.32 percent of hospitals do not at
all have any environmently sound waste treatment system.
The research report titled Environmental Health
Condition of Hospitals in Nepal is based on detailed evidence gathered by
CEPHED with the financial support of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report was jointly launched by Bhattarai and
Dr. Pravin Mishra, secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP).
“We should put in place a framework to tackle
the problem of hospital waste management because the issue poses a serious
threat to public heath and environment,” said Bhattarai.
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