Sludge Watch ==> Hospital sewage puts children's health at risk - Australia

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,20070035,00.html
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Hospital waste clogs sewage plants
Paul Osborne
09aug06

A CONSULTANT to the Queensland government has found that waste from some 
rural and remote hospitals is putting children's health at risk and clogging 
up sewage treatment plants.


The state opposition today tabled in parliament a leaked report, dated May 
this year, which looked at waste problems caused by 185rural and regional 
hospitals.

The report by Gowdie Management Group said the problem was worst in far 
north Queensland and the Torres Strait where poorly treated waste water was 
contaminating waterways.

"Queensland Health staff have reported that they consider that these failed 
effluent disposal areas could be a cause of ... infections in these 
indigenous communities, most particularly in children," the report said.

The report also found that hospital waste was clogging up local sewage 
treatment plants.

"The waste water produced by rural and regional Queensland Health facilities 
is more than likely placing in jeopardy the effective operation of local 
authority sewage treatment plants," the report said.

It said many councils would be unable to afford to upgrade their plants and 
Queensland Health may need to fund them.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said the government was acting on the 
report.

"We found some immediate issues with smaller facilities in far north 
Queensland and the Torres Strait and they are being addressed immediately," 
Mr Robertson said.

Mr Robertson said that while newer hospitals would meet modern standards of 
waste disposal, there were some hospitals in Queensland that were more than 
70 years old.

The report came as Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg called for Mr 
Robertson to be fined for his poor performance in managing the portfolio.

Premier Peter Beattie yesterday announced new fines of up to $125,000 on 
local government councils for not meeting deadlines for major water 
projects.

"We have a situation where this premier is prepared to blame 18 south-east 
Queensland mayors for a crisis of his own creation in water and yet he is 
not prepared to put the same sort of responsibility, timeframes and 
financial penalties on his own minister for failing to fix the health 
system," Mr Springborg said.

Liberal leader Dr Bruce Flegg today tabled a leaked email from the office of 
the health department's director-general which warned district health 
officers not to allow the minister to be embarrassed.

Mr Robertson was yesterday forced to admit that all of south-east 
Queensland's intensive care units were full on Monday and two patients had 
to wait for beds.

The email, dated yesterday afternoon, said: "This morning the minister was 
very embarrassed in parliament during question time that he was not aware of 
the ICU bed capacity problem that occurred last night. Would you please be 
able to relay to your staff the need to keep the (office) informed of such 
issues."

Mr Robertson said he expected his department to provide him with timely and 
accurate advice.