BEIRUT: Caretaker Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal announced Wednesday that an agreement has been signed between the ministry and Mersaco, the country’s largest distributor of pharmaceuticals, to export 60 tons of accumulated medical waste to France for safe disposal.
Rahhal held a news conference in the ministry’s office alongside the administrative and financial director of Mersaco, Joe Sabella, who thanked the ministry for its efforts in finding a solution for the large amount of medical waste, which has been accumulating in a warehouse since 2002.
“Twenty years ago, a representative from the government used to oversee the disposal of medical waste in fallow land, but this procedure has been stopped for environmental reasons. In 2002, an agreement was reached with a French company to export Lebanon’s medical waste to France, but the operation was aborted, and the medical waste has accumulated since then,” Sabella said, adding that his company has been trying to find a solution for the last 10 years, but “it hasn’t been easy.”
The caretaker minister thanked Mersaco for its initiative and expressed his satisfaction at having reached a solution to dispose of the waste, which has been endangering the environment and harming public health.
Rahhal explained that since Lebanon lacks the proper technology to safely dispose of medical waste, his ministry decided to collaborate with the French Ministry of Environment to solve Lebanon’s medical waste problem.
He added that he has been in regular contact with the caretaker Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh, and as a result of a meeting between them last week, notices were sent to 100 public and private hospitals, warning them to responsibly dispose of their medical waste.
“Next week I will meet with the [caretaker] minister of health, and we will file lawsuits against those hospitals that refuse to comply with our instructions,” Rahhal said.
Rahhal said his ministry would inform the 40 principal pharmaceutical companies of the amount of medical waste they produce, so they can properly dispose of them.
He added that measures will be taken against the companies that do not cooperate, since the law clearly states that all health organizations must properly deal with medical waste.
“Lebanon’s hospitals produce 11 tons of medical waste daily, but only half of this is treated, while the other half is left to accumulate. All health organizations must collaborate to help safely dispose of their medical waste, which is highly contagious and can spread harmful infections,” Rahhal stated.
Rahhal also said that public pharmaceutical companies, as well as private ones, produce medical waste, and will be forced to safely dispose of it. “I hope that the government will set up a factory that will treat medical waste in the near future,” Rahhal added.
The minister gave Mersaco a certificate of appreciation for its efforts in finding a solution to the problem of medical waste. –The Daily Star
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