EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

 

Internationalism in a flux

Set formulas wont work 

The political rivalry between the two power contenders in Ivory Coast has plunged the country in total anarchy. Matters could have been solved peacefully if Luarent Gbagbo had conceded defeat to his rival. It could have been an instance of peaceful transition of power. That did not happen. Gbagbo instead persistently refused to accept the poll results. He defied warnings from his rival at home and leaders abroad. After a futile battle to cling to power and causing immense sufferings to his people Gbagbo now looks for a safe exit.

We are at a loss to understand as to why local or regional options of peace between rival political parties are not working. There seems to be a drought of persuasive processes to find indigenous solutions. International will is not working effectively either. Even having the UN forces stationed in Ivory Coast is not helping matters.

Leading global powers seem to be so preoccupied with themselves that they do not care for problems that they have no stake in. They seem to be going their separate ways. In a multi polar world, diverse political interests make it difficult to thrash out a solution to any problem allowing things to worsen.

Events in Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya are clear instances of how countries plunge into greater disarray following an intervention or through continuing civil wars. Unresolved conflicts weaken the state and bring severe economic hardship to people even in otherwise resourceful countries. In such circumstances, people are the worst victims.

It's time the leading powers and the UN together device an effective problem-solving mechanism that will be at the same time ideally suited to the local conditions with due regard to sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries in trouble. Imposing formulas from outside that the people of those countries can not own up to would do more harm than good to them.

Medical waste dumping

DoE's monitoring needs strengthening 

For the lack of proper monitoring and implementation mechanism to enforce laws, both public hospitals and private clinics including diagnostic centres do not maintain any scientific waste disposal and management system. As a result, hazardous medical wastes are being sold openly at the different hospitals of the city as elsewhere in the country. Trade in medical waste has as a result mushroomed in the city where syringes, ampoules, blood bags and various other materials from hospitals are washed under most unhygienic condition for reselling. It boggles the mind to think what impact such infected syringes and other materials are having on public health.

Are the hospital authorities aware what happen to the wastes they produce everyday? The Bangabandu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) director, for instance, admitted that they dump most of hospital's waste in the DCC's dustbins, while the rest they burn in the incinerator. Though medical wastes are different from other kinds of garbage they handle, the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) claimed that they can dispose of one seventh of the hospital wastes of the city. But according to DCC, hospital authorities are hardly interested in it, because they sell waste in the market. How grim is the actual picture, one may gauge from the fact that only 342 out of some 1500 hospitals and clinics of the city have any scientific waste management facility, while very few among other hospitals and clinics spread over the country have such facilities.

There is an existing provision that any hospital before going into operation should obtain prior certification from the DoE. Unfortunately, as pointed out earlier, it cannot ensure its implementation, neither is it able to properly monitoring how many of these hospitals are maintaining or violating the provision.

Since the freely traded medical wastes have turned into a serious public health issue, the government should look into the matter with urgency. The DoE must be adequately staffed to monitor the hospital as well as provided with teeth to take action against those that are breaking the law.

Public awareness needs also to be built against the health hazard. The media as well as the government's own publicity organs must take up the awareness issue in earnest.