Story as reported in The National on 3rd of February, 2008

THE National Department of Health (NDOH) has signed a K5.5-million contract for the supply, installation and commissioning of biomedical waste incinerators for 14 major hospitals in the country. The contract was signed in agreement with Engineering and Construction Solutions Limited (ECS), a nationally owned company based in Port Moresby.

The project will cover hospitals in Port Moresby, Kundiawa, Wewak, Kimbe, Daru, Popondetta, Goroka, Mendi, Mt Hagen, Lorengau, Vanimo, Madang and Rabaul.
The payment for the 14 units has been made and the manufacture of the units has started in Mumbai, India.
The incinerators are being made by Steamotech.
The first of the four diesel-fired units will be ready for shipment this month.
A team of engineers from ECS and NDOH will travel to India to inspect and certify the equipment prior to shipment.
Under the contract conditions, ECS, in association with NDOH and Steamotech, will facilitate operator and technical training for health facilities branch technicians and engineers and other relevant hospital staff.
In a bid to improve management of biomedical waste at major hospitals throughout the country, the NDOH has prioritised the project.
The new incinerators will replace outdated equipment used at most of the hospitals.
When fully operational, the specially built incinerators are designed to ensure complete disintegration of medical waste at a rate of 50kg per hour.
Design specifications include equipment such as flue gas blowers, scrubber, fan and an eight-metre high chimney to ensure the performance of the equipment meets requirements of the country’s environmental, health and safety regulations.
ECS managing director Kelly Onne said the ECS team of engineers, technical and environmental specialists were currently conducting preliminary assessments of all the sites to collect relevant information that would be used to finalise the project implementation plan.
Mr Onne said implementation of all works would be in accordance with applicable industrial standards and relevant codes of practice.