KARACHI: Karachi neither has the facility of garbage collection nor it has a proper system to dump medical waste scientifically. The city’s biggest hospital Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) produce around 100 tonnes of infectious waste per day, which has to be dumped scientifically, according to the healthcare and environmental experts. But due to the lack of proper incinerator this garbage is mixed with the other collected garbage and thrown openly along city’s beaches. However, the JPMC’s management has decided to upgrade incinerator facility for safe disposal of medical waste of the institution to prevent people from its hazards. Executive Director JPMC, Dr Seemin Jamali, while talking to Daily Times, said a solid waste management plan had been devised for proper and safe disposal of medical waste in the light of court order. A plan has been chalked out for scientific disposal of 100 tonnes of hospital waste generated every day at JPMC, which also contains waste of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH). “In the first phase, upgrading of incinerator had already started, while new incinerator will also be purchased soon as incinerator of the hospital is very old and outdated,” Dr Jamali stated. The Sindh government had established the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to maintain a clean and healthy environment and to come down hard on the offenders of the environment laws. Under SEPA laws, the hospitals in Sindh are barred from disposing of hazardous hospital waste in an open or public area that could pose threats to human health and the environment. Dr Jamali said unsafe disposal of syringes, drips, urine or blood bags, needles, fluids and other used wastage was posing serious healthcare threats to visiting people and environment. A committee had been formed that comprises pathologist, nurses, paramedical staff and Operation Theater Manager to implement solid waste management program in the healthcare. The committee members will ensure that the infectious waste would be separated from non-infectious waste. She said that basic aim of devising solid waste management plan is to prevent people from hazardous of medical waste. She said that close-circuit TV cameras will also be installed at the administration block very soon for monitoring purpose. In this regard, the hospital has already taken action against garbage dealers. “Two weeks ago some outsiders were sorting medical wastage and selling it to garbage dealers; therefore, the hospital administration had requested SHO Saddar Police Station to take action. Later on, two people were arrested by the police in this regard ,” Dr Jamali added.