KABUL: Mawlavi Mati-ul-Haq Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) has criticized the lack of designated sites for collecting medical waste and says efforts are underway to establish such facilities across Afghanistan.
Speaking at a one-day seminar on medical waste management in Kabul on Sunday, Khalis described the creation of specialized disposal sites as an urgent public need.
According to Radio Omid’s correspondent, the head of the National Environmental Protection Agency warned that poor management of medical waste could lead to the spread of infectious diseases and stressed that even small aspects of the issue should not be ignored.
He also described medical waste management as an essential part of citizens’ daily lives.
Khalis further emphasized the importance of maintaining hygiene standards in hospitals and urged the public to pay serious attention to cleanliness and proper waste handling.
The environmental agency organized the one-day seminar in cooperation with a private hospital in Kabul, and similar programs are expected to be launched in other provinces.
Medical waste is generated in hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and healthcare centers and improper handling of such waste can pose serious risks to human health and contribute to the spread of contagious diseases.