Unused Syringes and Saline from Mymensingh Medical Found in Garbage Dump

Despite having two to five years left before expiration, unused government syringes, cannulas, and saline bags are being dumped in garbage heaps. These vital medical supplies from Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) are regularly ending up at the city's Shambhuganj municipal waste disposal site. The revelation has sparked immense outrage on social media and among patients, particularly because impoverished visitors are routinely forced to purchase basic medical supplies from private pharmacies due to hospital shortages.

On-site visits to the Shambhuganj facility revealed sacks packed with pristine medical equipment. Product labels confirmed that many batches remain valid until 2028, with others usable up to 2031. Zubeda Khatun, a waste segregation worker, revealed that four members of their eleven-member team haul trash directly from the hospital, while others sort through the debris. She noted that usable syringes and saline are frequently found, and after accumulating several sacks over a week or two, some are returned to the facility while the remainder is sold off wholesale.

Sources indicate that between 35 and 40 van-loads of waste are cleared from MMCH daily, yielding several sacks of functional medical equipment every week. Local civic leaders and residents have condemned the malpractice, emphasizing that these goods were purchased with public funds. Residents lamented that while admitted patients are routinely told that basic consumables are out of stock, substantial volumes of state-supplied logistics are being wasted or diverted into illicit channels.

Civil rights groups, including the citizen platform Mymensingh Mancha, have demanded an immediate, impartial probe into the hospital's supply chain and waste management protocols. Independent observers stress that the incident exposes glaring lapses in inventory tracking, requisition accountability, and monitoring. Public pressure is mounting on health authorities to determine whether an internal syndicate is siphoning off supplies under the guise of trash disposal and to hold the perpetrators accountable.