By Trudy Simpson, Freelance WriterTHE HEALTH Ministry said last Friday that three hospitals will be assisting the National Public Health Laboratory with the disposal of used material, including test tubes containing blood and other samples.
This is to be a temporary arrangement while health officials continue trying to source parts for the laboratory's defective incinerator, Grace Allen-Young, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said. According to employees, the incinerator has been down for the past three months.
Mrs. Allen-Young said health officials have had discussions with the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and the National Chest Hospital which have working incinerators.
BLOOD BANK
Officials have been trying for "some time" to get the part for the defective incinerator, which has cost the Government $600,000 in repairs since 2002, Mrs. Allen-Young revealed in a letter to the Editor, dated April 30, 2004. She said the parts have to be sourced overseas.
"We don't intend to look indefinitely. If we find that it can't be repaired, our options would be to see whether we can make arrangements to replace it," the Permanent Secretary told The Gleaner on Friday. She explained that one large functioning generator can take care of the needs of both the National Public Health Laboratory and its neighbour, the National Blood Transfusion Service (Blood Bank). The Blood Bank has also expressed concern about its incinerator, which although 'faulty', has been managing the disposal of materials from both facilities. Employees said the machine was not capable of handling the load.
The Gleaner reported recently that dogs had gained access to discarded test tubes containing blood, which were left outside the yard of the public health laboratory. Mrs. Allen-Young claimed the tubes did not contain infected material.
