[Photo: Supplied]

Hospitals without dedicated incinerators are relying on other facilities and external partnerships to dispose of clinical and hazardous medical waste.

Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu says the Ministry of Health is working towards ensuring all subdivisional hospitals have their own incinerator capability, but several facilities currently remain without one.

He says hazardous waste from hospitals without incinerators is transported to locations where proper disposal through incineration can be facilitated.

“For areas that do not have incinerators, especially the hazardous waste, they are transported to areas where we can facilitate the utilization of proper disposal of medical waste through incinerators.”

He told Parliament that partnerships with organisations that have incinerators are also being used to manage the waste.

The Minister highlighted the recent commissioning of new incinerators by Aspen Medical as part of the available disposal capacity.

Rotuma is among the areas that does not currently have its own hospital incinerator.

Dr Lalabalavu says the island has a waste management plan, with clinical waste from the hospital transported, where feasible, to the Biosecurity Authority’s incinerator on Rotuma.

The Health team provides fuel to Biosecurity when the incinerator is used, under a cost-sharing arrangement.

Non-hazardous waste from the hospital and health centre is instead transported to the Lopta community dump.

The Ministry’s current priority is to establish incinerator facilities at subdivisional hospitals in Naboro, Sigatoka, Rakiraki, Taveuni and Kadavu.

Dr Lalabalavu says once these facilities are completed, Rotuma and other hospitals without incinerator capability will be considered.

He also confirmed that environmental assessments and funding processes are underway for several of the planned projects.

At Lautoka Hospital, construction of the incinerator building has been completed, with installation of the incinerator unit pending approval of a variation requested by the supplier.

At Sigatoka Hospital, the environmental impact assessment has been approved, with funding for construction and procurement of the incinerator unit provided for in the current financial year.

Projects at Labasa Hospital and Taveuni and Kadavu hospitals are also at various stages of environmental assessment and planning.