Health Ministry targets safe insulin needle use and disposal

Mar 14, 2009 News

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Guyana Safer Injection Project, (GSIP), yesterday held one of its forums at Regency Suites located in Hadfield Street, Georgetown, whereby health workers from various regions were allowed to state their views on the effective ways and means in which they can help with the proper disposal of biodegradable waste products.

Dr.Krishendat talks to some about GSIP

In 2007 the Ministry of Health, with the USAID-funded Guyana Safer Injection Project (GSIP), conducted an assessment of insulin home-use and needle-disposal particles.

This is a programme where patients can be informed and taught how to properly use needles and syringes that they have to use, which were recommended and issued by doctors.

Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who addressed this forum, said that it was necessary to combat the improper disposal of non-biodegradable waste products.

However, used needles that have been used by these individuals can put the patients themselves, health workers and communities at risk.

Dr Ramsammy noted that the programme is critical, and that it is necessary that the health workers who have the responsibility of having patients provided with insulin, its products and instruments, be knowledgeable of the risk of not teaching and informing patients of all that is necessary for both patient and health worker, since they are responsible for these non-biodegradable waste products.

“For every syringe that we receive we have a responsibility to account for such, so that we are able to determine the final disposal destination of these instruments.”

He added that individuals who have these instruments in their homes must know where these are after use. “These can end up in the wrong hands, or even with those for whom they were not intended.”

Ever since the programme was instituted, health workers have found that patients/clients dispose of used syringes in latrines, household pits, municipal trash and neighborhood canals. They are initially putting municipal workers and communities at risk, the Minister said.

The Minister was keen to acknowledge to those at the forum that, because of their field of work for whatever they do for the people they serve, “the devil is in the detail”.

Dr. Gumti D. Krishendat, Director, Chronic Illnesses, Ministry of Health, stated that from April her group hopes to institute a diabetic programme that will cater for the welfare of patients and doctors, so that they have more support and training to pass on to each other.

“They have to communicate with each other,” one health worker stated. It is necessary, Dr. Krishendat assured those in the audience. The evaluation programme conducted last year found that all disposal methods tested were effective and safe.

As a result, nurses, pharmacists and waste handlers felt safe handling the disposal containers.

The Ministry of Health is currently scaling up the system, and earnestly working to develop a national policy on insulin needle use and disposal.