Embassy News
Ambassador Commissions US$5000 Incinerator at Bartica Hospital - will improve healthcare waste management practices
On Thursday, February 26, 2009, US Ambassador John Jones commissioned a “De Montfort” style incinerator at the Bartica Community Hospital. The project is part of the Guyana Safer Injection Project (GSIP), which seeks to prevent the medical transmission of HIV by reducing unsafe and inappropriate injections in Guyana; GSIP is a component of the U.S. government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). GSIP developed a national strategy to improve injection safety, improve healthcare waste management, and educate the population about precautions that will reduce accidental transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases. A team from the US Embassy’s Humanitarian Assistance Program supervised the construction of the incinerator, which cost approximately US$5,000.
Speaking at the launch and 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, was pleased to make this contribution to the improvement of Guyana’s health sector, stating that, “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.”
At present, hospitals in the region do not have a safe way to dispose of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) materials. These are 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, and the ashes 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.
Ambassador Jones disclosed that in conjunction with the GSIP, “the HAP team will train operators on the proper procedures for operation of the incinerator and the safe disposal of RMW,” adding that the team will “work with the Ministry of Health and other partners to help reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases” through unsafe injection practices.
Deputizing for Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who was unavoidably absent, the Ministry of Health’s Director of Standards and Technical Services, Ms. Yvette Irving, praised the project and its 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. Other speakers included Ms. Audrey Anderson, Chief of Party, Injection Safety and Waste Management Practices; Ms. Merlene Ferrier, Regional Health Officer, Region 7 and Mr. Holbert Knights, Regional Chairman, Region 7, who welcomed the US Ambassador to Bartica, home of the Regatta.
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.