From: Ian blenkharn@ianblenkharn.com
Category: News & information
Date: 29 Jul 2008
Time: 14:11:24 +0200
Remote Name: 86.133.234.230
Scavenging does not require any education, skill or capital so most of the children, belonging to poor segments of the society, are forced by their families into this profession. The scavengers sell out collected waste material in junkyards that are present everywhere in the city.
Their ‘big catch’ includes hospital waste and metallic substances that are sold relatively at higher prices. Syringes, drip bags and urine bags are sold at a price between 40 and 50 rupees per kg and used cotton bandages at 10 to 15 rupees per kilogram. [more]
Sadly, the situation is far more common than most would wish to believe. I have seen this in India and in Ecuador. Scavenging from wastes, including clinical wastes, is reported to happen in at least 15 nations worldwide, and probably very many more. Even worse, scavenging in organised by corrupt hospital officials who are happy to receive money fro hospital wastes, and make further money buying back items scavenged from those wastes.
Lives are lost, among scavengers and those who unwittingly receive treatment using contaminated syringes and needles. The world community must act to put pressure on those nations where scavenging and the illicit reuse of items from clinical wastes is happening.