Finally – Medical Waste Recycling Center in Subotica

General hospital Subotica is growing into an exceptional health center that is going through important changes in its staff and technology. New investments are in the pipeline. The hospital is becoming the new regional center for artificial insemination. What will follow is procurement of equipment for medical diagnostics, mammography, machine for endoscopic surgeries, biochemical analyses, as well as for ultrasound diagnostics. Also, Medical Waste Recycling Center, which is the complex that is necessary for resolving of piled problems concerning expansion of medical services, as well as protection of citizens and the City from this serious environmental problem.

The editors of eKapija have recently talked about all this and, especially, about the Medical Waste Recycling Center with Dragana Penčić, PR Manager of the hospital.

eKApija : Would you please describe the investment in Medical Waste Recycling Center in Subotica for us ?

D.Penčić : The Medical infective waste treatment unit is in the grounds of the General Hospital Subotica and it is very significant investment backed by the Ministry of Health. Also, EU finances technological part of the project through European Agency for Reconstruction.

(Dragana Penčić)

eKapija : What is the value of investment in facilities and technology ?

D.Penčić : Subotica has got one of the first regional centers for sterilization of infective medical waste. Development of the facility where the new unit is situated, which cost about 50,000 EUR, was financed by the Province of Vojvodina, while the machines were donated by the Ministry of Health of Republic of Serbia, all that within the scope of the 7m EUR worth of national project that is realized in partnership with EU. Thanks to European Agency for Reconstruction, Subotica-based hospital obtained two machines for sterilization of medical waste, one crushing unit, a vehicle for transportation of medical infective waste and disposable material (bags and containers for sharp objects). Thanks to these machines, the level of protection from infective medical waste will be raised to significantly higher level.

Ekapija : Would you please describe the degree of danger that the citizens were facing before this investment was initiated ?

D.Penčić : Infective waste has, so far, been disposed together with communal waste and it has ended in the city dumps, without any previous treatment. Since the dump is not organized according to sanitarian regulations, leaking through the body of the dump, these contents used to flow into the natural water streams. In addition to everything mentioned above, collectors of semi-finished products at the dump were, possibly, directly exposed to extremely dangerous infections.

eKapija : What was the procedure for collecting and disposing of medical waste until recently ?

D.Penčić : We have only been processing verified infective waste. The rest of the waste was sent to the dump along with the communal waste.

eKapija : Would you explain to us what kind of machines is used for treatment of this type of waste?

D.Penčić : Handling of the waste treatment machines is very simple and safe. They are using the technology of thermal disinfection, and the result is inactive and harmless waste, similar to household waste. Using of these machines will significantly reduce the risk to people’s health and environment, which was increased by inadequate management of infective waste, which makes over 70% of dangerous medical waste.

It is very important that this type of waste will be treated in an adequate way at the place where it was generated, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. The project activities include the training of staff in medical institutions for safe transportation and adequate inactivation of the waste.

eKapija : Are there treatment quality centers similar to the one in the future Center in Subotica in our country (and where) ?

D.Penčić : There are only pilot centers in our country and one of them is ours, in General Hospital Subotica.

eKapija : Where will the waste, which will be recycled in your center, come from ?

D.Penčić : In addition to the waste from the Hospital, the waste that will be recycled in the new treatment unit will be sent from the health centers in Subotica, Bačka Topola and Mali Iđoš, as well as from all other clinics on the territory of these municipalities. For that purpose, we have procured a special vehicle for waste transportation, which will be specially marked and its drivers will have to complete additional training.

After transportation, the waste will be sterilized, then compressed and, in the end, it will be brought to the dump. The estimates are that about 3 tons of medical waste will be treated on monthly basis. The whole process will be monitored by eco-inspectors, as well as by the representatives of EAR, so that every risk that possible contact with treated waste could cause health problems will be eliminated.

eKapija : Who ran this Project on behalf of investors ?

D.Penčić : This Project was run by the Ministry of Health led by Dr Verica Jovanović.

eKApija : Would you please describe the recycling process to us ?

D.Penčić : Destroying of medical waste is carried out in two phases. The first phase is physical destruction or so-called crushing, while the second phase is its sterilization and transportation. The procedure for destruction of the medical waste is brought in accord with all standards of European Union.

In the new unit, of which capacity is 200 kg of waste a day, the waste that comes from the whole North Bačka region will be sterilized at the temperature of 120 degrees, and it will be then physically destructed.

It is expected that, starting next year, when the law that will regulate that field should be put in effect, more than two tons of waste will be collected because private clinics will be obliged to "take care" of their waste in an appropriate way.

eKapija : Could you announce some other new projects and investments of your institution ?

D.Penčić : We can proudly say that the General Hospital in Subotica has become the new regional center for artificial insemination and that is the first hospital in Serbia, other than clinical centers, where this state-of-the-arts gynecology method will be applied.

Besides, what will follow is significant procurement of equipment for medical diagnostics.

Equipping of the hospital with this modern equipment will significantly improve the medical care system in this region. Radiology ward is becoming an irreplaceable segment in gynecology, cardiology and abdominal diagnostics.

Ekapija : Would you please present us your institution in short

D.Penčić : Modern hospital of the pavilion type was built in 1897. It had 165 beds at the time, and that number was increased to 470 few years later. The new building of the hospital of the block type was finished in 1971, and it was put into operation in 1972 thanks to self-contribution of the citizens. The hospital had 876 beds at the time. Present dispensary station encompasses the pavilion part of the old hospital and new building of the block type. It has large number of expert medical staff and modern and therapeutic means.

The decision about founding of General Hospital Subotica, based on the division of the Health Center Subotica, was made by the Executive Council of Vojvodina on August 29, 2007. Following the adoption of the Statute, General Hospital Subotica was founded on November 20, 2007, and it was to carry out stationary and consulting specialist medical activities at the secondary level for the territory of municipalities of Subotica, Bačka Topola and Kanjiža, which includes 230,000 people. The Statute of the General Hospital Subotica defined medical activities, specialties and internal organization of the hospital. General Hospital Subotica has 670 beds and 1,233 employees.

In the process of reorganization and modernization in the period between 2008 and 2012, the management of General Hospital Subotica, in Subotica, formulated the strategic aim to make the hospital the leader at the secondary level where the care of patients is put on the first place.