Dumpster kids earn 50p per kilo scavenging hospital waste

A few minutes away from the main Peshawar hospitals, children rummage through trash, collecting used syringes, sharp blades and blood bags.

These children are gathering medical waste from garbage dumps outside hospitals to supply to shops in Khyber Bazaar, where the local traders buy them for Rs80, about 50p, per kilogramme.

Of course, none of this has been sterilised or treated in any way, either before sorting or indeed later when some of it is reprocessed or simply repackaged for use in hospitals and clinics. It is truly a deadly trade.

The risks of sharps injury or infection, and infection for those who may be treated using items salvaged from waste and re-used without sterilisation, is immense.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/416114/dumpster-children-hospital-waste-sells-for-rs80-per-kilogramme/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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