SEPA issues notices to 91 hospitals

Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued notices to 91 private and public hospitals of Karachi for submitting of their waste management plans, Business Recorder learnt on Wednesday. Waste of Karachi's hospitals is big issue of the city as many of the hospitals have no plans to dispose of the waste scientifically, resulting, millions of Karachities are facing a lot of dangerous diseases.
SEPA, a few weeks ago, has issued notices to 91 public and private hospitals for submitting their waste management plans according to Hospitals waste management rules 2005. Agha Khan Hospital, Civil Hospital, Liaqat National Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Jinnah postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), PNS Shifa hospital, hospitals of PAF and Rangers, Ziauduin hospital, Dar-ul-Sihat, Chinuti hospital, Main government hospitals of Malir, Lyari, Landhi and Korangi, Social Security hospitals, hospital of Steel Mill, Taba hospital and others are among the 91 hospitals, which have received the notices of SEPA, sources told.
In reply, many hospitals have informed the SEPA officials that contractors of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) used to dispose of the hospital's waste. Later, the SEPA has contacted the concerned local offices and asked for the list of hospitals, which used to dispose of their waste.
Local officials informed the SEPA that our contractors used to dispose of the waste of 120 hospitals; he also provided the list of these hospitals to the authorities of SEPA. SEPA has issued letters to the hospitals mentioned in the list for environmental audit but many of them have not replied yet, sources said. When contacted, Director (Technical) SEPA, he said according to my knowledge notices have been issued to such hospitals.
He said that Agha Khan, Taba, Civil and few other government and private hospitals have their incinerators for burning the waste, while the rest have no solid waste management system. He said that we are trying our best to convince all the hospitals to dispose of their waste scientifically to save the environment. He said that a ministerial level meeting is expected very soon in this regard, as two ministers of environment and health could sit together to resolve the issue of waste management of the hospitals.