KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has stated that without effective segregation of waste at the source, sustainable waste management will remain unattainable. The city made this assertion during a stakeholder consultation on medical waste management.
Sarita Rai, Chief of the KMC Environment Management Department, said simply transferring waste from one location to another does not ensure sustainability. She stressed the importance of effective waste segregation at the point of origin.
Since fiscal year 2022/23, KMC has monitored hazardous waste management at various healthcare facilities 96 times.
According to KMC Environment Inspector Srishti Shrestha, some institutions were monitored more than three times. This year’s inspections included hospitals, clinics, polyclinics, dental clinics, and IVF centers.
Beginning Monday, KMC has launched training on hazardous and liquid waste management systems, mandating participation from representatives of institutions inspected in the current fiscal year.
Prasunnaratna Bajracharya, a member of the Urban Planning Commission, noted that medicinal waste is increasingly being found in households. He urged hospitals to take greater social responsibility in mitigating public health and environmental impacts caused by medical waste.
Ramcharitra Shah, Executive Director of the Center for Public Health and Environmental Promotion, presented on the nature and management techniques of medical waste. He suggested that with adequate caution and awareness, the volume of waste can be reduced significantly at the source.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), healthcare institutions generate between 0.99 kg to 1.73 kg of waste per hospital bed per day. If such infectious waste is not properly treated and disposed of, it can contaminate air, water, and soil, posing direct, indirect, and long-term threats to both human health and biodiversity.
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