New fears over medical waste dumping as Muhimbili incinerator fails

Dar es Salaam. Authorities ordered investigations yesterday into the solid waste disposal system in Dar es Salaam as it emerged that the lone incinerator at the Muhimbili National Hospital, the country’s leading medical facility,  has broken down and has not been in use for the last six months.

The move came as fear over public health spread in the city over Monday night’s  discovery of severed body parts dumped in a quary at the Bunju suburb in Kinondoni district.

The Citizen learnt yesterday that the MNH incenerator broke down in February and delay in procurement of spare parts has seen many hospitals in Dar es Salaam that rely on the facility to incinerate their solid waste to find alternative means to dispose of their waste.

The Dar es Salaam special police zone commander,  Suleiman Kova,  told a press conference yesterday that they had arrested eight suspects who were helping in investigations into the dumping of the body parts at the quary.

He said they would also find out what the breaking down of the incinerator meant for the disposal of hospital waste, and how it featured in Monday’s  drama.

The body parts belonged to the International Medical and Technological University (IMTU) in Mbezi,  whose managers and administrators were among those in custody. It was alleged that a tutor at the college in whose custody the parts were placed had first taken them to MNH for disposal.

He is however is on the run and police  have launched a manhunt for him, to explain why the body parts were removed from Muhimbili to the forested area, whose shocked residents who found the bodies lamented that the act had traumatised them.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, the head of public relations unit of the hospital,  Mr Aminiel Aligaesha,  said MNH received the body parts for preservation as investigations continue.

He said he could not release  more information as MNH was among the institutions being investigated over the matter.

Mr Aligaesha confirmed their incinerator had broken down, but hinted that it would soon be operational.

A spot check in Bunju yesterday found worried residents dicussing the shocking development. The women who work at the quarry said they could not continue with work due to being  traumatised.

“We are schocked at seeing so many body parts strewn around like that. I have not eaten since last night,” said Mr Gideon Mashimba, who stumbled on 85 bags with the remains.

Another miner  who introduced herself as mama Mwajabu,  said that, after the incident occurred no one was able to continue working as they were crying.

“It is such a pity to see  the remains of fellow human beings in such  an awful  state;  at first we didn’t know where these things came from, so we thought may be some people were killed somewhere.

At the IMTU College, The Citizen witnessed nine managers being led away by the police for questioning. They were held at the Oysterbay police station.

Earlier the deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Dr Fariji Mtango, said the disposal assignment was given to one of the teachers, Dr Omar Sultan.

“We as the university administration are shocked, because we followed all the procedures, and mind you transporting such things is normally done at night because, they are scary, that is why it is done at night, but we knew that they were to be incinerated at MUHAS, now if they had a change of plan we don’t know;  we are still doing an investigation,” he said.

He added that Dr Sultan, who is believed to have fled to Zanzibar,  has switched off his phone. Mtango also said that on Tuesday,  auditors visited the university, but declined to mention if  the visit had pushed them to dump the bodies in such  a hurry.

The Bunju police station was on Tuesday morning invaded my angry residents who wanted to seize  the driver driving a car  carrying some black plastic bags they suspected contained the remains of human beings.

Speaking to this paper, a police officer from the station who didn’t disclose her name said that the driver was actually carrying chicken.