Medical Waste Found in Playa del Carmen Public Area

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Quintana Roo Health Secretariat (SESA) responded immediately to a report about the discovery of abandoned medical waste in a public area of Playa del Carmen. The notice was received on January 9, which allowed for the urgent activation of sanitary protocols to secure the area and protect the population.

The site was located on a vacant lot in the vicinity of Paseo Central and Petempich Avenue, where state and municipal authorities coordinated actions to prevent any risk to public health.

Approximately 4 Kilograms of Hazardous Waste Secured

During inspection and collection operations, authorities secured approximately 4 kilograms of sharps waste, which were collected and transported under strict safety measures. Among the materials found were vacutainer tubes with blood content, used syringes, hypodermic needles, and materials used for venipuncture, all without labels or data that would allow identification of their origin.

Additionally, only the lid of a red container for Biological-Infectious Hazardous Waste (RPBI) was found at the site, with the complete container not located.

Interinstitutional Coordination Without Incidents

The operation involved personnel from the Municipal Police, Civil Protection, the State Attorney General’s Office, and the Coordination of Protection against Sanitary Risks, who secured and transported the waste to the Playa del Carmen General Hospital, where it was confined according to current regulations in the RPBI area. No incidents were recorded during the procedure.

SESA reiterated its commitment to responsible medical waste management and confirmed that work is already underway with the corresponding authorities to investigate the origin of the waste and determine responsibilities. Furthermore, it called on medical units and generators of sanitary waste to reinforce their proper handling.