The world has some parts which have a lot of resources and a lot of money to spend on those resources. Then there are some parts where both are scant. These parts are of two types - one part likes to think they have enough of resources and money, and their situation is as ideal as in the affluent parts. The other type knows it is poor and behaves accordingly.
When the hospital infection committee started functioning, I was made a member. I knew we belonged to the non affluent group, and myself preferred to behave accordingly. The chairman of the committee believed we had a plenty and wanted to behave as such. When the matter of waste disposal came up, the decision was made to follow the universal rule - black bags for household waste, red bags for biohazardous non-sharp waste, and yellow bags for body parts.
"Do we have funds for such wastage on bags?" I asked. "We might dispose off the household waste like the whole city does. Why use bags? They will not get biodegraded too."
"We have enough funds. We must follow rules."
I kept quiet. One of the big bosses even declared that the bags were biodegradable plastic. I could not confirm that despite extensive research. But they did not want my opinion. They had all three types of bags to start with. They situation was as shown below.
Then the supply and funds started running out. The servants started using one bag for another type which was not available. The nurses had innovative thinking. They put labels on the walls behind the bags as shown below, so that people would know what should be thrown into which bag. They situation was as shown below.
How the waste managers would identify the contents of the bags when the
bags were taken away leaving the labels behind is beyond my imagination. Finally all supply stopped. Then they started throwing the waste in sterile plastic surgical drapes placed inside plastic drums or buckets. All bigwigs who had maintained we have everything a plenty have superannuated and gone away. The members and enforcers of the infection committee are not to be seen around. So I cannot ask them if they still believed we had a plenty. I had resigned from the infection committee long ago because I could not live with pretense. So I don't know what is their take on the current situation. I had known I was right, but I had not wanted myself to be proved right in this way.
When the hospital infection committee started functioning, I was made a member. I knew we belonged to the non affluent group, and myself preferred to behave accordingly. The chairman of the committee believed we had a plenty and wanted to behave as such. When the matter of waste disposal came up, the decision was made to follow the universal rule - black bags for household waste, red bags for biohazardous non-sharp waste, and yellow bags for body parts.
"Do we have funds for such wastage on bags?" I asked. "We might dispose off the household waste like the whole city does. Why use bags? They will not get biodegraded too."
"We have enough funds. We must follow rules."
I kept quiet. One of the big bosses even declared that the bags were biodegradable plastic. I could not confirm that despite extensive research. But they did not want my opinion. They had all three types of bags to start with. They situation was as shown below.
