IT is a daily occurrence to see black smoke being emitted from the chimneys in the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.

And after a recent letter to the editor from Satish Nakched, The Fiji Times followed up with an investigation into the smoke which poses an obstruction to the nearby residents of Waimanu Rd..

A common belief is that the smoke is a merchandise from body components being incinerated from the hospital.

Minister of Health and Medical Services, Jone Usamate clarified “the incinerator in CWM burns all clinical waste generated at the hospital”.

“The choice of type of wastes which should be incinerated follows global standards for disease control and disposal of clinical waste,” Mr Usamate explained.

Clinical waste includes blood, tissue, individual organs and other body components.

“Incineration happens in a controlled environment where things are incinerated at a very large temperature to kill all germs from the waste.

“Incinerators are used in hospitals all around the world and will be the preferred method to dispose of this waste as it retains the chances of spreading illness and disease to a minimum.

by: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=334379