Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Punjab has started a survey for installation of 10 incinerators and 10 autoclaves in district headquarter (DHQ) hospitals of the province. The department officials said the incinerators and autoclaves have been purchased and the department has initiated survey to identify potential sites.
They said the top priority of the department was to install incinerators and autoclaves at places away from residential localities. They said this was due to the toxic effects of these machines. The project of installing incinerators and autoclaves in District Headquarter hospitals was launched to ensure the implementation of Hospital Waste Management Rules (HWMR) 2001.
They said government and private hospitals, clinics, laboratories, research centres, blood banks, medical and nursing institutions, drug manufacturers, rehabilitation centres and veterinary hospitals were major sources of generating hospital waste and under the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2001 they were bound to dispose of their waste properly.
Officials said the survey will be completed soon and added that several districts already had the facility of incinerators and autoclaves and the newly purchased machines will be installed in the districts where such facility was not available.