San Antonio Resident Claims that Medical Waste is Making Them Sick
Some residents in San Antonio, Toledo are alleging that burning of medical waste is making them sick. According to them, particularly those who reside near the San Antonio Polyclinic, the improper disposal of the waste has been going on for about five years. The residents say that they have complained bitterly over the years but the clinic’s administrators haven’t done anything to address it, except to take their complaints and have them sign some papers. Well, now they want the Ministry of Health to address the problem. One resident, Felicita Cruz, says that the unpleasant smell from the waste pile accumulates in her house and is causing her to become ill. We’ve reached out to the Ministry of Health for a comment on the matter and will get a response from the Director of Health Services on Wednesday, as he was out of office. Here’s how Cruz describes the problem she and other residents are facing in the village.
On the Phone: Felicita Cruz, Resident, San Antonio Village
“It affects us, in general, the whole village with the scent of the burning of the syringes and what-not, you know how that smells. The rubber and the plastic, all the gloves, it is very awful. It is not good for us and especially how every week they bring it in. When it rain – they will just burn it at the same time and the smoke starts to surround all of our house and inside our house. It goes all in the whole village. I have been starting to catch cough and cold often. So, I try going to the clinic and the pills and medication don’t work. I told them about my problem and they told me not to use the pills and I haven’t been to the clinic again but I am still with this cough. I have a neighbour who is sick right now, not far from here, right close to the clinic. She is suffering from respiratory problems and a little boy is in the PG clinic the same way and I think he is vomiting blood or something his mom says.”
Andrea Polanco
“And you believe that these health complications are as a result of the burning of the waste coming from the hospital?”
On the Phone: Felicita Cruz
“Yes. I believe it is that because it affects me specifically. Whenever I start to inhale the smoke it causes a bad headache that I don’t even want to eat my food before I go to sleep.”
Andrea Polanco
“You said you see syringes, gloves, anything else you recognize being burnt?”
On the Phone: Felicita Cruz
“Yes, when it first started the dogs used to go and bring all the garbage around my house. They bring the adult pampers from the pregnant women but it has blood; and also the blood bags that they use to give blood – all of that was being scattered around my house. Sometimes the things off the babies when they are born, the dogs are eating sometimes. You find it around my house and when you pass over there, oh my God, it is like a dead body around my house.”
Andrea Polanco
“And so those materials, do you know where exactly they are coming from? Is it just from the San Antonio Clinic?”
On the Phone: Felicita Cruz
“Well, I have seen it myself. The truck load was coming from the PG hospital because I was going to town one time and I passed the big truck coming with the load. I hear they also pass and collect the Columbia one too and Big Falls because all of that is on the way coming down.”
