St. Catherine Health Department acknowledges pile-up of medical waste

 

The St. Catherine Health Department has acknowledged a pile-up of medical waste on its compound but says steps are being taken to address the situation.

 

Councillors raised the issue on Thursday.

 

"We had an experience probably about two weeks ago when I was called to say that the nurses...were not working because there was a garbage pile-up on the compound. And you'd never believe that there's a public health office on the space," recounted Herbert Garriques, Councillor for the Linstead Division, who requested a response from the health department. 

 

Responding to the concerns, Denece Douglas, Deputy Public Health Inspector for St. Catherine, said the backlog is the result of operational challenges at the disposal facility.

 

"From my understanding there is a problem with the medical waste disposal facility in Kingston," she said.