Gyeonggi Province has uncovered 34 animal hospitals that violated medical waste disposal regulations, such as discarding animal tissue specimens and other medical waste in standard volume-based waste bags intended for general waste.
The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on May 22 that, following a two-week intensive investigation of animal hospitals across the province from April 21 to May 2, they identified 364 animal hospitals suspected of illegally disposing of medical waste and detected a total of 34 violations.
This investigation was carried out as a preemptive inspection of medical waste management practices at animal hospitals, aiming to prevent secondary infection accidents caused by the illegal handling of waste.
In one notable case, Hospital A was found to have disposed of animal tissue specimens and other medical waste in standard volume-based waste bags for general waste, instead of entrusting them to an authorized waste disposal company.
Hospital B was found to have stored medical waste in a refrigerator without using the required dedicated containers, even though medical waste must be kept in special containers to prevent infection.
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Hospital C failed to indicate the start date of use for the storage period of the dedicated container, while Hospital D did not comply with regulations requiring the installation of a sign at the medical waste storage location in advance.
Under the current Waste Management Act, anyone who violates the requirements for waste generators by mixing medical waste with general waste in standard volume-based bags can face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. In addition, failure to use dedicated medical waste containers or to install required signage at storage locations is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won for each violation.
Ki Ido, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police, stated, "We will continue to investigate illegal acts related to medical waste at animal hospitals to ensure that the safety of residents is not threatened by poor medical waste management and to create a safe environment for companion animal care. We will also do our utmost to carry out ongoing prevention activities to improve awareness regarding medical waste management at animal hospitals."
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