Government has stepped up efforts to address the issue of medical waste, such as blood vials, hypodermic needles and syringes, washing up on local beaches.
According to a Government Information Services press release, a multi-agency team led by the Department of Health Regulatory Services, is investigating the matter and is reaching out to local healthcare facilities about the waste which is often found along the coastlines.
The department is asking the healthcare centres to help determine whether the medical waste being found on all three islands is coming from local or overseas sources.
Director of the Department of Health Regulatory Services Mervyn Conolly, noting that reports of medical waste on beaches have spanned many years, said in the release, “This waste poses a very serious public health concern and working group members are united in their desire … to understand the origin of the hazardous items and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
“We are confident that the public share the same desire and urge anyone who comes across medical waste in a public area to treat it with utmost caution and separate it from other waste.”
The government’s forensics lab is also testing the contents of one vial found on the beach to determine whether the source of the contents is animal or human.
The Cayman Compass has reported several incidents of vaccine bottles, vials and syringes being found in recent months by members of the public, especially following rough seas and unsettled weather. A number of the vials, which appear to contain blood, have readable labels that show serial numbers or other information.
Since November, beach walkers have found medical waste on Seven Mile, Barkers, Colliers and South Sound.
In late November, the Ministry of Health, in an email to the Compass, said it would investigate the incidents. According to the press release issued on Friday, the ministry has now requested that the Department of Health Regulatory Services carry out the investigation.
Who to call
Anyone who finds medical waste should call the Department of Environmental Health customer service number on 949-6696, authorities advise.
The Department of Health Regulatory Services is asking tourism sector workers or other individuals who have found medical waste on any beaches in the past to report their findings to the DEH customer service number.
The multi-agency working group involved with the investigation comprises representatives from the Ministry of Health, DHRS, Department of Environment, DEH, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Agriculture Department, Public Health Department, and the Health Practice Commission, which licenses local healthcare providers, including medical laboratories.
Conolly added that the group will report its findings to the Ministry of Health and the public once the investigation is complete.
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