The original article can be found in: Trinidad Guardian By Yvonne Webb
A $9 million incinerator is being constructed at the San Fernando General Hospital. This will replace the outdated one which collapsed last Tuesday. CEO of the Southwest Regional Health Authority (SWRHA), Anil Gosine, said construction of the incinerator, adjacent to the existing one, began in March. Simultaneous repair is being carried out on the old structure, however, as the new one would not be ready for use until the year’s end.
He said the old one, which was constructed in the 1980s, no longer meets Environmental Management Authority (EMA) standards. He said the stack was changed several times since. “The role of the EMA is changing, so we need to get rid of this old one, which has served its time,” Gosine said. “We have been trying for quite a while to get approval for a new one. We finally got approval and construction started about two months ago. Completion is scheduled for before the end of the year.” The stack collapsed last Tuesday, rendering the incinerator, which is used by hospital authorities to dispose of medical waste, useless. Gosine said they have since contracted out the work to dispose of the biohazards from the hospital for the next week or so to Belgrove’s Funeral Home.
