DOHA - The disposal of medical waste by government and private health centres, pharmacies, pharmaceutical units, pathological laboratories and research centres will now be subject to strict monitoring by the authorities.
The Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves has been entrusted with the supervisory role.
A decision recently issued by the Heir Apparent vests the authority with the Council to ensure that medical wastes are duly categorised into hazardous and non-hazardous and disposed of properly by those responsible for generating them.
The decision, which becomes effective immediately after being published in the official gazette, provides clear guidelines on how medical waste is to be disposed of.
The decision asks healthcare providers, laboratories, pharmacies as well as medical research centres to set up proper waste storage facilities in their premises.
Some of the key conditions to be met are that these facilities should not be located close to where food is stored or prepared or patients are housed.
They should be secure enclosures with hard floorings and with inside temperatures varying between 15 degree and 18 degree Celsius.
The waste is to be stuffed securely in bright yellow plastic bags and boxes specified for the purpose. Red plastic bags are to be used to store human or animal organs.
The trash bags are to prominently carry tags with the name of the establishment (the waste producer) and its location.
No storage facility will be permitted to let keep waste for more than 24 hours. It is to be disposed of immediately after or preferably earlier.
The storage areas need to be easily accessible so as to facilitate transportation of disposable materials .
Human organs are to be transported to the mortuary at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) at the end of the 24-hour deadline and the authorities there will be responsible to dispose them of as per Shariah guidelines.
Used materials which are infectious, including sharp instruments such as syringes or surgical aid, chemicals, medicines, radioactive materials and cylinders carrying leftover compressed gases are all considered hazardous waste.
The wastes are to be put separately in bright yellow plastic bags with stickers prominently describing their type.
Some examples are 'Hazardous medical waste', 'Sharp instruments waste', 'Liquid waste' and the like. Liquid wastes are to be tightly secured in bottles and stuffed into trash bags.
Depending on their size, establishments will be required to employ staff having expertise in handling medical waste. They should wear protective clothing like smocks.
Poisonous waste should also be kept in yellow bags with clear tags and they are to be burnt and disposed of in sewage systems.
As far as possible, bulk pharmaceutical waste (medicines) should be returned to their suppliers and if only it is not practicable to do that, they are to be disposed of in yellow bags.
© The Peninsula 2006
