The piles of old hospital equipment and rubbish behind the mortuary building at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole (TTM) National Hospital in Moto’otua have been cleaned up.

The Samoa Observer visited the site on Monday, and a security guard stationed near the mortuary confirmed that the rubbish had been removed following last Thursday’s report by the Samoa Observer.

During the initial visit, the Samoa Observer found discarded materials, including an old box containing unused microscope slides. Conservationist James Atherton said that if the slides were unused, they did not pose a major environmental risk.

“If so, no major environmental risk—just a waste of resources to throw them away unused and a potential risk to anyone handling them carelessly from the sharp glass edges,” he said. “If they are used, then of course they are a health hazard.”

Microscope slides are thin pieces of glass or plastic used to hold specimens for examination under a microscope. They are typically disposed of in sharps containers if broken or contaminated, according to laboratory waste procedures.

Questions sent to the Acting Director General of Health, Tagaloa Dr Robert Thomsen, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Lealaisalanoa Frances Reupena, were not answered as of press time.

The Samoa Observer first reported on the rubbish last week after discovering the pile behind the mortuary building at the national hospital.