Hospitals seek ways to solve problem of waste management<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Hospitals throughout the city are seeking to
\nsolve the problem of waste management by setting-up a collective
\nwaste treatment plant.<\/p>\n
In an interview with The Jakarta Post late last week, the head
\nof the municipal health office Dr. Soeharto Wiryowidagdo revealed
\nthat the Metropolitan Jakarta Association of Hospitals (IRSJAM)
\nhas proposed a combined solution to deal with the safe
\nelimination of hospital waste.<\/p>\n
\"They recently asked the government to look into the matter by
\nsetting up a joint treatment plant where the hospitals could
\ndeposit their waste,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Soeharto the hospitals have strong awareness of
\nthe issue and would like to tackle the problem themselves,
\nunfortunately financial constraints prevent them from providing
\nthe necessary solutions.<\/p>\n
\"The technology available is not cheap,\" he claimed.<\/p>\n
The municipal administration last year gave hospitals till
\nOctober to provide a waste treatment plan to deal with the
\nhazardous waste produced by the various chemical product they
\nuse.<\/p>\n
The deadline was given as part of the Clean River Program
\n(Prokasih), which is trying to address Jakarta's polluted
\nwaterways.<\/p>\n
Hospitals such as the state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo general
\nhospital in Central Jakarta, the privately owned St. Carolus
\nhospital on Jl. Salemba Raya, Central Jakarta and the army-owned
\nGatot Subroto hospital have been identified as major medical-
\nwaste producers.<\/p>\n
Soeharto explained that in response to IRSJAM's proposal the
\ngovernment has called for the participation of the private
\nsector.<\/p>\n
\"The government doesn't have the money to deal with it
\nthemselves,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
He further revealed that the project is currently undergoing a
\nfeasibility study by a private company headed by Mrs. Ummi
\nLengkong.<\/p>\n
October deadline<\/p>\n
If the study produces favorable results then the government
\nwill most likely support it by requiring hospitals to discard of
\nwaste by such means.<\/p>\n
Soeharto also said that the October deadline might be extended
\nshould hospitals show a concerted effort to adopt a collective
\nsolution based on the study.<\/p>\n
The government would certainly not turn a blind eye to the
\nefforts taken, he said.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said the exact amount of money needed for this
\nproject could only be determined after the study is complete.<\/p>\n
At present most hospitals do not have waste treatment plants
\nand discard the waste in a number of traditional ways that
\npollute the environment, such as dumping it into the rivers.<\/p>\n
However he pointed out that some hospitals have obtained
\nincinerators to help alleviate the problem.<\/p>\n
Hospitals such as Cipto Mangunkusumo and St. Carolus have
\nincinerators while the Pertamina hospital in Kebayoran Baru,
\nSouth Jakarta, is one of the few that has its own waste treatment
\nplant.<\/p>\n
Other hospitals such as the Polri hospital in Kramat Jati,
\nEast Jakarta, have recently been given Rp 700 million
\n(US$324,825) by Chief of Police Gen. Banurusman Astrosemitro to
\ncope with the waste problem.(mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hospitals-seek-ways-to-solve-problem-of-waste-management-1447893297",
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