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US Ambassador Commissions US$5000 Incinerator at Bartica Hospital

Mar 05, 2009 News

United States Ambassador to Guyana, John Jones commissioned a ‘De Montfort’ style incinerator at the Bartica Community Hospital last Friday. 
The project is part of the Guyana Safer Injection Project (GSIP), which seeks to prevent the medical transmission of HIV and other blood related infections by reducing unsafe and inappropriate injections in Guyana.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Ambassador Jones told the small gathering of health officials, medical care-givers, school children, and community officials that the US government, through its agencies, is pleased to make this contribution to the improvement of Guyana’s health sector.
“The incinerator will provide for the on-site disposal of Regulated Medical Waste and as such will eliminate the need for storage and/or transport requirements as well as reduce the number of exposures to items such as needles that are potentially contaminated with communicable diseases.”
Hospitals in the region did not have a safe way to dispose of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) materials.  Prior to the donation, the waste were stored temporarily for approximately five weeks and then transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital to be incinerated. Where possible, RMWs are burned in an ‘open air’ environment behind the hospital.
The ashes were then deposited into the river that parallels the hospital grounds. Items such as expended hypodermic needles are locked in a chain link storage facility to prevent access to the needles by drug abusers.
Deputizing for Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Ministry of Health’s Director of Standards and Technical Services, Yvette Irving, lauded the project while pointing out the capacity to contribute to the reduction in ‘new infections’ caused by ‘accidental contact’ due to unsafe disposal practices.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 20 million Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and 260,000 HIV infections annually are due to unsafe injection practices. 
The Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) is an initiative under the U.S. Embassy to assist Guyana’s communities in the areas of social, economic and medical development.
HAP works to bring together multiple local and international agencies to reach common goals.

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