"That is because throwing away liquid waste — whether it is blood, bodily fluids, or anything that comes out from the human body — is deemed dangerous," head of the public communication and services bureau of the ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi explained on the sidelines of the “2023 National Work Meeting on Health” here on Thursday.
She said that blood samples taken during screening for HIV/AIDS, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C, need to be destroyed if they test positive for the disease.
"If it is positive of any of those, surely it is thrown away," she added.
Such blood samples cannot be thrown into a landfill, Tarmizi stressed.
Medical waste poses the risk of disease transmission because the virus or bacteria in the waste can survive for a certain period of time.
"Upon finding medical waste, prioritize universal precautions. If (you) have no idea of it yet, assume that thing is infectious stuff. Use protection like gloves, shoes, and clothes that tightly cover everything," she advised.
She said the disposal of the blood packs by the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) was regrettable and, given PMI’s extensive experience in blood management, such an incident was unexpected.
In response to the finding, the ministry conducted cross-checks at the East Java Health Office and Central PMI to clarify the details of the incident and determine the next course of action.
The blood packs labeled with HIV were found at Junok Landfill by a staff from the Bangkalan Environment Office.
"There are dozens of them, packed into two plastic bags. Aside from blood packs, there are also tools for blood donation," head of waste management at the Bangkalan Environment Office, Yudistira, informed.Head of the Bangkalan Red Cross As'ad Asjari confirmed that the blood packs discovered at the landfill were disposed by his office and admitted that was an erroneous move.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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