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Suddie Hospital commences sanitisation of open dumpsite

Jun 07, 2013 News

As it relates to the dumping of harmful hospital waste at an open area next to Red Village at Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast, the administration of Suddie Hospital has finally moved to have the biomedical waste burnt, the land filled, and polluted area treated with chemicals.
This is according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Following a series of complaints, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, had ordered management of the hospital to cease dumping the harmful waste, and have the area fully sanitized.
Responding to further questions, the EPA said that the area was covered with earth and that another pit has been dug for the dumping of specifically non-medical waste by the hospital.
“The Suddie Hospital has also advised that an appropriate site will be identified by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), hence the reason for the hospital continuing to utilize the site for the dumping of non-medical waste,” the EPA explained.
About two years ago, Executive Members of the Alliance for Change (AFC), after receiving overwhelming complaints from residents of Red Village, pressed for the government’s intervention in providing residents of the Food for the Poor (Guyana Inc.) – established community, with a safer living environment.
It was reported that animals such as dogs and pigs would visit the unsecured dumping area and drag all kinds of hospital waste, including human remains, into the Amerindian village which is located about 70 metres away.
Residents had complained of being fed up of the serious health hazards that the dumpsite posed. The area is reportedly not fenced or isolated from the public in any way.
Villagers were particularly worried about the children of the area who would play with syringes, threatening to “bore” each other with it.
Some of the affected persons had also complained of their children contracting illnesses of uncertain origin.
The dumpsite also posed as a threat to the water supply to the village which caters for about 1,000 residents.
Whenever it rains, the waste water would run down into the conservancy where they do their laundry and bathe from a pool of stagnant water which is filled by rainfall and also shared with them by animals.
Meanwhile, when contacted recently, the Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran had said that the area is an official dumpsite with warning signs put up for residents not to enter. After it was emphasized that it was the animals that enter the unfenced dumpsite, the Minister said that his Ministry will be working closely with the RDC to fix that.

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