Monday, September 15, 2008 Cebu City summons CCMC, Public Services to sort out mess, review system
BODY parts dumped at the Inayawan sanitary landfill last Friday prompted Cebu City councilors to ask for a review of the hospital waste disposal procedures and policies, as they investigate the incident today.
Councilor Augustus Pe Jr., the deputy mayor for the sanitary landfill, said he will call the landfill administrator and officials of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) and the Department of Public Services (DPS) to explain their side during the investigation.
He will also invited the driver of the DPS dump truck with body number DT 20, which transported the hospital waste and body parts from CCMC to the landfill last Friday night.
Pe said he wants to know what the procedures are and whose role it is to dispose of hospital wastes properly.
Apparently, city officials have not clearly agreed on this.
Pe said that body parts are supposed to be buried in the cemetery and are not to be dumped at the landfill, while Councilor Christopher Alix said they are supposed to be treated before being burned in the incinerator.
Following the incident, Alix said he will find out today why the private hospital waste management company was not asked to dispose of the wastes and body parts from CCMC.
“CCMC has to segregate wastes that can go directly to the dump site, from those that need to be treated. The body parts are supposed to be treated and disposed of in the incinerator, that is why I’m surprised why it did not go through the process. We will look into that,” said Alix, chairman of the City Council committee on health.
Some 10 kilos of body parts were dumped at the landfill last Friday night, prompting scavengers there to call the police.
When informed about the incident, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he wants to have the incident looked into before he recommends any action against the erring parties.
In a phone interview yesterday, Pe said he will listen to all the parties involved before making any recommendation to the mayor.
He said that the task of properly disposing of the body parts rests on CCMC, and not the DPS.
CCMC acting chief Dr. Myrna Go said earlier that they only segregate the body parts and tissues from other hospital wastes such as used syringes, dextrose, diapers and linen, and it is up to the DPS to dispose of them.
“For me, I don’t agree that DPS should be the one to dispose of and bury these body parts. CCMC should do it kay dili man na basura ang body parts. CCMC should arrange for the burial. The Inayawan dumpsite is not a cemetery, nganong sa landfill man ipadala?” Pe said.
Regardless of the results of the investigation, he said that he will propose to make CCMC responsible for the proper disposal of its own wastes, particularly body parts and tissues, and not the DPS. (LCR)
