Private hospital operative without waste disposal set-up.

Byline: Irfanul Haq

RAHIM YAR KHAN -- The newly-established largest private sector hospital (RYK Hospital) on Dari Sanghi canal bank does not allegedly have proper arrangement for disposal of medical waste. The hospital is injecting its sewage water underground when there are about Covid-9 patients in the infirmary.

Chaudhry Naeem Shafiq, son of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Chaudhry Shafiq Channab, told Dawn that the RYK Hospital was established at a cost of Rs5 million last year but its administration did not lay sewer line to connect to the main sewerage which is only , feet away, [allegedly] to save Rs2 million.

Shafiq alleged that the RYK Hospital administration had got approved its design in the last PML-N local government [municipal chairman] without following solid waste bylaws. He said after receiving complaints from a delegation of locals led by Iqbal Sanghi, he got its design file from municipal corporation five months back which showed that there was no septic tank in the hospital.

'At this time the hospital is injecting its sewerage water underground through a borehole.'

Rural area 'urbanised' without laying sewerage; medical waste being burnt and injected underground

He said he had off and on requested the deputy commissioner to resolve the issue while the chief municipal corporation officer has visited the site but to no avail.

According to a source in municipal corporation, the RYK Hospital had not followed standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding dumping of water because the area did not have sewer lines.

RYK Assistant Director Environment Protection Agency Punjab Aamir Arshad Rehmani also issued a letter No.47/EPA/RYK on June 23, 22, to the hospital. The letter said a survey conducted by an inspector found that the hospital has adverse environmental impact owing to four reasons.

It said the infectious and non-infectious waste are disposed off un-hygienically, the waste like IV bags, syringes, blood and urine bags disposed off as such are likely to be re-used, infectious and non-infectious waste is being burned in the open and the hospital is injecting sewage water into ground water which is violation of law. The assistant director directed the hospital to take measures within seven...

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