Authorities of Chuadanga Sadar Hospital have been accused of negligence in the waste management of the hospital. The stench is spreading in the air, due to dumping waste everywhere. This is seriously polluting the environment.
Residents of the area, including patients, who came to the hospital for treatment, have become impatient with the stench of medical waste. They demanded immediate removal of the waste.
However, the hospital authorities claim that the Chuadanga municipality has abruptly stopped the removal of hospital waste. That is why this unwanted situation has arisen.
A recent visit to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital revealed, several open spaces, adjacent to the hospital, were scattered with blood-stained gauze, bandages and other medical wastes. There were several piles of waste seen around the hospital.
A number of cleaners were seen collecting medical wastes from the plastic drums kept next to the medicine, surgery and gynecology wards. They were throwing those wastes in open spaces within the hospital boundaries.
According to the victims, the scattering of waste in the open space at the Sadar Hospital is a daily occurrence. It has become very difficult for the patients to stay in the hospital ignoring the presence and smell of those toxic wastes.
Tareq Hasan of Nagdah village in Alamdanga upazila said his younger sister had been hospitalized for five days so, he has to come to the hospital every day. However, the stench of hospital waste has made it difficult for them to stay there.
Sanjida, a cleaner working at the hospital, said wastes coming from various wards were being dumped in the open space inside the hospital boundary.
Later, Chuadanga Municipality’s waste collecting vehicles came and took away the garbage.
Residential Medical Officer (RMO) at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital Dr ASM Fateh Akram said, “Chuadanga Sadar Hospital is a 100-bed hospital but, medical services are provided to hundreds of people there every day. So, a large amount of waste is generated.”
He added, “After surgery in the hospital, the limbs severed from the patient’s body is usually buried in the ground while, common wastes including gauze-bandages are thrown in the hospital dustbin. However, a lot of waste accumulates there and sometimes spreads bad smell.”
The RMO further said, “Not a single municipality vehicle had come to collect the waste for a month. As a result, piles of waste have accumulated in the hospital area. We have been regularly informing the municipal authorities about the matter but, they are not removing the waste mentioning various problems.”
Chuadanga Civil Surgeon Dr ASM Maruf Hasan said the hospital needs a special kind of incineration machine to dispose these types of wastes.
That machine is not available at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital so, the management committee of the hospital is also worried about the waste management.
Chuadanga Municipal Mayor Jahangir Alam Malik Khokon said, “The waste of the hospital could not be collected for some time as the cleaners were busy removing waste from various places in the town. However, those wastes will be removed in a day or two.”