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'Revised waste collection fee in Sharjah still high'

DUBAI – Hospitals and clinics in Sharjah will have to pay a new fee structure for medical waste collection starting June 20, which doctors say is still higher than that being charged by the neighbouring emirates.

Till date, doctors in the emirate have either been trashing medical waste in a regular bin or taking it to other emirates for incineration. Sharjah generates 2.7 tonnes of medical waste per day.

The fee structure has been a bone of contention between Weqaya, the only certified medical waste collection company in the emirate and doctors since it announced the fee structure for medical waste collection a month ago.

The company had asked private and public medical establishments to pay an annual fee ranging from anywhere between Dh10,000-Dh60,000 (depending on the number of doctors and the size of the facility). Charges in other emirates range between Dh2,200 to 3,000 per year.

However, upon complaints from doctors, the Sharjah Executive Council on May 31 reduced the waste collection fee from the earlier proposed Dh1,000 to Dh440 per doctor. Other charges include a fee to train a medical waste officer (Dh1,000) and a one-time registration fee of Dh200. Payment options have also been relaxed.

“There should definitely be a waste collection system in place but it should be affordable and on par with other emirates,” said Dr Sunny Kurian, who runs the Sunny Group of Medical Centres with 12 doctors. Dr Sunny was among the several doctors who took part in a signature campaign asking the higher management of Wekaya to reduce the charges.

Dr Sunny suggested that the fee structure be calculated on the amount of waste generated by each facility. “We do not perform surgeries so we do not have a lot of waste other than sharps and syringes,” he said.

“We have been told that the licence would not be renewed if we do not pay up,” said Dr Chithra Shamsudheen from the Chithra Medical Centre. “The fee is exorbitant,” she said, adding that she was yet to receive the new fee payment structure.

Khalifa Al Shaibani, general manager of Weqaya told Khaleej Times on Thursday that the fee had been revised and the facilities were being sent notifications.

“Yes, in the early days the fee structure was on the higher side but this has been reviewed and reduced by 63 per cent,” he said. “They should be able to afford this fee,” he said.

“However, the facilities have to register with Wekaya by June 20 so that no punitive action is taken against them,” he added.

Al Shaibani said that collection would start by July 1 and the waste would be disposed of at Sharjah’s only incinerator that was inaugurated in January this year.

Failing to pay the fee would put the licence of the facilities at risk. Failure to pay even after two written warnings in 14 days, the establishments will be fined Dh5,000. Thereafter, the facility will be closed down for 90 days.

Clinics are being notified of the charges independently. A doctor on condition of anonymity said he had received the new fee amounting to Dh10,000 for three doctors, including the training and one time registration fee.

Doctors also say that levying of such a fee puts an additional burden on healthcare and would have to be borne by patients as an end result.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com