22 April 2009
Ahmedabad, India
TNN
They cost just 50 paise more than normal syringes. But, not using them can prove very costly! We’re talking about auto disposable (AD) syringes that can’t be reused.
The outbreak of hepatitis–B in Modasa, that claimed more than 60 lives, on account of reuse of disposable syringes shocked the state.
UK–based trust Safe Point is sensitising people on the issue and promoting the use of AD syringes. In fact, it has started a vaccination programme in rural areas of Modasa using these syringes.
Founder of the trust Marc Koska said, “We discussed the matter of creating awareness on use of AD syringes with state health officials. We have also submitted a film on unsafe practices in using disposable syringes.”
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) findings on syringes, Koska says, “In India, 1.5 billion injection syringes are manufactured, but demand is five billion a year. The deficit is made up by reuse. Use of unsafe, contaminated syringes results in 30 lakh deaths.”
In November 2008, Safe Point launched a massive campaign after Union health ministry supported the use of AD syringes. However, the ground reality is quite different. Government and private hospitals were found using reused syringes in Modasa, rues Koska.
“Central government directive to use AD syringes was not implemented in all hospitals. We have caught nurses at a government hospital administering injections to many patients using the same syringe,” he adds.
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