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Fuel crisis: Clinical waste disposal slows down

11 Sep 2022

The removal of clinical waste at hospitals, especially in the Western and Central Provinces, has come to a standstill due to fuel-related issues faced by service providers, The Sunday Morning learns. Private companies that provide clinical waste disposal services are facing difficulties due to the increased fuel prices and supply limitations. As a result, hospitals – including the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) – are facing serious difficulties in handling waste disposal, especially clinical waste, which needs to be collected, transported, and disposed of in a safe and secure manner. A senior NHSL officer who wished to remain anonymous told The Sunday Morning that clinical waste had piled up in the hospital backyard during the past several weeks, as collectors had failed to collect the garbage on time and regularly. However, due to the fuel price hikes, the private company handling the clinical waste of these major hospitals has recently requested the Health Ministry to increase the prices per kilo of garbage. It is understood that the private company currently engaging in clinical waste collection in hospitals is now being paid around Rs. 103 per kilo of garbage. The prices were agreed upon in 2017 when the diesel price was around Rs. 85. The company has now requested a tripling of the fee. The company has also requested an uninterrupted supply of fuel to continue operations. However, despite being given priority initially, it had not translated into practice in the past several months. Medical Technology Services Director Dr. Anver Hamdani told The Sunday Morning that there were no issues pertaining to the clinical waste collection at hospitals. However, he acknowledged that there had been a request for a price hike, but that the Ministry had not yet taken a decision in this regard. He added that the Ministry would hold discussions to provide solutions to the issues faced. Meanwhile, Academy of Health Professionals (AHP) President Ravi Kumudesh warned of serious repercussions in the coming months due to the piling up of clinical waste unless the Government became involved in the matter immediately. “The service has not come to a standstill yet. Unless the Government comes up with a solution, the issue will get more serious,” he said. A majority of the hospitals had no own way of disposing clinical waste and therefore the system was based on outside collectors, he stressed. – By Maheesha Mudugamuwa  


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