93pc of healthcare, medical waste left unmanaged: Brac
Around 93.4 percent of the generated medical and healthcare waste every day from households and healthcare units across the country is left unmanaged due to lack of a proper management system, causing severe environmental pollution as well as health problems, a study has found.
"Effective Management of Medical Waste amid Covid-19 Pandemic" was conducted by the Climate Change Programme of Brac from July 20 to August 10. Results of the study were shared in a webinar yesterday.
The total volume of waste amid the Covid-19 pandemic generated every day is 530.45 tonnes across the country, of which 282.45 tonnes is healthcare waste and 248 tonnes medical waste, said Dr Md Mostafizur Rahman, a professor of Jahangirnagar University, who presented the outcome of the study.
The study found that of the 530.45 tonnes per day of Covi-19 related waste is generated from households and healthcare establishments, only 6.6 percent is somehow managed formally, while 93.4 percent is not under the current hospital waste management procedure.
"The waste generated from hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Dhaka city has been managed at least partly by a third party (PRISM Bangladesh Foundation), a well-known medical waste manager in Bangladesh. But, the capacity of well-structured third party is very limited and their coverage is only five districts so far, which means about 93 percent area is not covered," he said.
The 282.45 tonnes of healthcare waste generated every day from protective items used by general people to protect themselves against Covid-19, all of which are mixed with household waste before disposal, he said.
Most of the recommendations from the experts point towards the establishment of a comprehensive medical waste management policy and waste management system, and to ensure the implementation of legal codes through the government regulatory authority, said Mostafizur.
Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Chairperson of Brac, said four aspects need to be prioritised to tackle the crisis.
"Turning public awareness into a habit, coordinated efforts of all stakeholders, achieving waste management capabilities, and fixing a sustainable solution to the existing problem -- these four aspects are crucial to tackle the crisis. There should be a specific division in terms of who is doing what and the ministries of health, environment and local government should work together to this end," he said.
Dr AKM Rafique Ahmmed, director general of Department of Environment, said, "Currently, there is no specific infrastructure or initiative in the current system for medical waste management. This is crucial to public health and this can be implemented through public-private partnership."
Brac's extensive network across the country can be utilised to bring out a timely solution to this crisis, he said, adding that DoE would like to get Brac as a partner in this regard.
Air Commodore Md Badrul Amin, chief waste management officer of Dhaka South City Corporation, said, "Medical waste related to Covid-19 are getting mixed with regular waste and these remain unseparated."
"Efforts are underway to make people aware so that they keep their medical waste separated. Even hospital waste is being mixed with regular waste which is hazardous for public health. Directorates concerned should be communicated to make sure that hospital waste is being handed separately to authorities concerned," he added.
The study, conducted by Brac Climate Change Programme, reveals that 71 percent of the surveyed population use PPE, and a large portion of them live in cities. Almost all households dispose of their Covid-19-related waste mixed with their household waste due to a lack of proper management service, it found.
Waste collectors have also said they have found Covid-19 related waste among household waste during collection.
However, 81.4 percent of the participants think that the untreated waste may increase the risk of infection and 90.6 percent have expressed that these untreated waste are harmful to health and the environment.
Among others, Brac executive director Asif Saleh and senior advisor Md Abdul Karim also spoke at the programme.