Dhaka: Experts on Sunday urged the authorities concerned to take integrated measures to manage medical waste as those are posing health risks for lack of proper management.

‘All city corporations of the country lag behind in managing medical waste. City corporations must give special emphasis on dealing with medical waste apart from household waste,’ LGRD and Cooperative Minister Mosharraf Hossain Khandker told a seminar in the city.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) in association with PRISM Bangladesh Foundation arranged the seminar on medical waste management at Sonargaon Hotel.

Speaking as the chief guest, the Minister said there are around 1,700 hospitals and clinics across the country and all these hospitals and clinics are producing medical waste.

Besides, he said, about 700 pharmaceutical, herbal and unani companies are producing medicines generating medical waste.

As medical waste spreads pathogens, virus and bacteria, those are very dangerous for health and environment, the Minister said.

He said nowadays the entire world has been giving importance to recycling of medical waste and the same thing should be applied here along with using regular waste management methods.

Mosharraf asked universities, medical colleges and research organisations to come forward to invent new methods and technologies for sustainable medical waste management.

Noting that waste management is a challenging task, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon said Dhaka city generates around 2,800 tonnes of waste daily while it is able to handle 2,500 tonnes.

Khokon said about 280 tonnes of medical waste, including syringe and bottle, generated in Dhaka city every month may put public health at risk if those are reused.

About bin installation in the capital, the DSCC Mayor said a total of 5,700 bins were installed in the DSCC area, but most of bins were stolen or damaged.

Local Government Division Secretary Abdul Malek, DNCC panel mayor Osman Gani and DNCC chief executive officer Mesbahul Islam, among others, spoke at the seminar.