Abdullah Al-Yahya Okaz/Saudi Gazette ABHA — Hospitals in Abha and Khamis Mushayt are allegedly depositing hazardous medical waste in the municipality's dumpsters. Cleaning teams emptying the trash receptacles discovered the untreated medical waste, which could pose a serious health hazard to the public as they contain disease-carrying germs and poisonous substances. A source in the municipality who requested anonymity said medical waste should be disposed of in a safe manner according to regulations. He said the contractor responsible for removing the waste simply dumped it in containers without following regulations. Asir Health Affairs spokesman Saeed Al-Neqair said the environmental health department was notified that two trucks carrying medical waste were en route to a garbage dump. An investigation team sent to the site recorded the incident and submitted a report. The contractor entrusted with removing the waste was fined and the hospitals' medical waste supervisors were cautioned for ignoring regulations regarding waste disposal.
