The management of the Upper West Regional Hospital has refuted claims that the liquid waste that emanates from the facility is dangerous to the lives of the people living in the area.

It said all liquid waste from the facility including the mortuary effluent and washroom waste from the theaters and staff bungalows are all treated through the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) before being discharged.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Medical Director of the facility, Dr. Robert Amesiya, and copied to Info Radio on Friday.

It was in reaction to a publication by Home Radio alleging that concerns have been raised by people living around the hospital that the facility’s “indiscriminate discharge of mortuary effluent could endanger nearby commercial and residential properties as well as those living directly across it on the main road.”

But the statement said the management of the facility and its staff held the health and safety of the people in the region, especially those living around the facility, in high esteem and would not engage in activities or actions that could endanger their lives.

“We further assure you that the effluent that emanates from our Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is not harmful to the extent of endangering your lives as being peddled around”, the statement added.

It, therefore, appealed to the general public to disregard the “false allegation” as the management of the facility took their well-being in high esteem and would not allow such waste to affect their health.

“The Sewage Treatment Plant installed at our premises is a full biological treatment system which uses both Anaerobic and Aerobic Digestion processes.

“It consists of three treatment units with each unit employing a different technology to complete its treatment action on the waste that passes through it”, the statement said.

It indicated that the management of the hospital had sent samples of the effluent to the laboratory of the Ghana Water Company Limited to measure its compliance following the complaints made by the public.

“Should the reports reveal that our Sewage Treatment Plant is not complying with the effluent discharge regulation, we will liaise with the Wa Municipal Assembly, regulatory authorities, and opinion leaders in the community to ensure that the anomaly is addressed”, it assured.

The statement, therefore, called on the author and publisher of the article, Romanus Bombe, to pull down the publication in line with the professional journalism standard practiced in Ghana.

“Management believes that balance reportage is essential in our quest to inform and educate the public”, the statement added.

Source: Info Radio