IjISPOSABLE syringes, good for one-time use. -•--'are otherwise getting pushed into patients “Hies without number. One has reasons to believe that In view of their omnipresence in medicine shops, hospitals and clinics across the country, hundreds and thousands of people are buying these and subjecting themselves to the administration of various injections completely unaware of the deadly infections they might be taking Into their blood-streams. They are at a very high risk of contracting HIV. Hepatitis 'B' (jaundice), sexual diseases, to name some obvious maladies.

From what had been a manageable problem of some hospital employees and traders shoving used syringes on the sly into the injectors’ hands this has now become an epidemic of an Intractable problem — thanks to lack of timely attention to the aberration.

The errant business with the locally available used syringes was not considered enough to whet their profiteering appetite. They were to soon fall for importing the same from abroad with the facade of recycling it into something else — so-called plain plastic products they touted. They would polypack those syringes they had imported at dirt-cheap prices and sell them off with a margin of profit. Only a few months ago the government woke up to the dangerous malpractice and declared a ban post-haste on the import of used syringes from abroad. This has not put a stop to their marketing. however tn fact, a new device has been contrived to hoodwink the people. The death dealing employees at different hospitals and clinics tn cohort with the wholesalers have formed a counby-wide network to make the most of the used variety. So long as the syringes do not look completely worn out they can be recycled.

Given the magnitude of the problem, nothing short of a well-publicised deterrent punishment meted out to the culprits at the hospitals, clinics and wholesalers' levels will help curb it. All the wrong syringes must first be mopped from the medicare chain and incinerated forthwith. The matter having gone beyond the pale of hospital authorities or public health officials, we want law enforcement people to be In charge. They should conduct raids wherever necessary to stamp out the thoroughly unethical business.

What seems imperative for the health ministry at the moment is that they issue an advisory note to the general public how best they can read the difference between a genuine syringe and a used one.