ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Health Makhdoom Shahabuddin accepted in the Senate on Friday that used plastic bags of urine and blood and used syringes were being re-cycled to make plastic utensils that posed serious health risks to consumers.
“I will immediately probe the matter as it is of a serious nature. There are laws in the country that prohibit the re-cycling of such material, there is a need for deterrence,” the health minister said while answering a question raised by Senator Begum Najma Hameed. The minister first said that such disposable material was not being re-used.
However, Najma pointed out that she had not asked the minister if urine and bloods bags were being re-used. “My point was that such hazardous materials were being recycled for making cutlery and utensils. There is a difference in re-use and re-cycle,” she said.
Shahabuddin said he was unaware of the matter and would probe into the issue. The minister also conceded that a majority of equipment at PIMS and other hospitals of the federal government were out of order and the ministry had budget constraints. Senate Chairman Farooq Naik expressed displeasure and asked if that meant that the machines would remain out of order.
The House was also told that agriculture yield this year was likely to increase. Nazar Muhammad Gondal, the minister for agriculture, also told the Upper House that the some areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Upper Punjab and Kashmir were ideal for olive cultivation and the government was providing saplings imported from Italy to farmers at the rate of Rs 30 per plant. He added that cotton cultivation this year would be more than that of last year.
The Senate also witnessed a protest by senators from smaller provinces when the House was told that diplomats were posted abroad on a quota system. Senators Khalid Sumroo, Ismail Buledi, Zahid Khan and Haji Adeel protested, saying the system deprived smaller provinces of their rights. The chairman referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.
