HOW LAUTUS ORIGINATED

Global Situation...

At the end of the 20th century, the number of cases of infectious diseases being caught by means of medical instruments is ever increasing. This group of diseases is referred to as INTRAHOSPITAL infections and they cause grave problems for the patient and medical establishment alike.

A short description of the intrahospital infections.

1.Definition

2.Intrahospital infections are divided into two groups:

• Acute contagious infectious diseases (dysentery, salmonellosis, virus hepatitis, measles, rubella, etc.).

• Purulent-septic infections.

3. Factors stimulating the possibility of spreading intrahospital infection:

• origination of enduring microorganisms with high resistance against antibiotics and disinfectants;

• incorrect use of antibiotics and disinfectants;

• violations of sanitary hygienic and counter-epidemic conditions, including incorrect health care waste management,

• violations of sanitary hygienic and counter-epidemic conditions, including incorrect health care waste management.

...and the Situation in Latvia.

In the mid-nineties of the 20th century, HIV along with other infectious diseases, for example, virus hepatitis C, reached also Latvia, and the number of occurrences of these diseases is gradually increasing.

Significant changes in the previously employed patient health care practice have been introduced as a preventive measure for limiting these infections, namely, medical instruments of multiple use (syringes, test-tubes, surgical tools, etc.) are replaced by disposable instruments. The problematic aspect of theses changes appeared soon after – the amount of potentially infectious waste is increasing rapidly.

• In 1995, the specialist from the AIDS Prophylaxis Centre, doctor-epidemiologist Sandra Eglīte started training the medical staff concerning precautionary measures to be taken when handling potentially infectious biological materials, including medical waste.

• It was discovered that there is no term “medical waste” in the legal acts of Latvia. Medical waste is comingled with household waste and delivered to the urban household waste dumping grounds.

• On 21 May 1997, the specialists from the AIDS Prophylaxis Centre and State Blood Donor Centre organised a seminar for the head doctors and responsible specialists of medical institutions covering the topics of medical waste and problems of utilizing unfit medicines in Latvia.

A shocking discovery of this seminar was that the heads of Latvian medical institutions did not know the legal method of destroying medical waste. Also the responsible state officials from the Ministry of Welfare (being responsible for the operations of medical institutions) and from the Ministry of Environment and Regional Development have no comments in this respect…

            At the end of the seminar, a decision was taken – to establish a company, which would start setting up a medical waste management system.

• In the summer of 1997, under the wing of the company LATIMA, the company MEKO began its operations in capacity of a subsidiary company; it set up a medical waste management system, simultaneously rendering first services to the medical establishments. 

• As the sphere and extent of operations expanded, it was decided to establish a new company. On 2 October 1997, a new company – LAUTUS – was registered in the Register of Enterprises. The doctor Sandra Eglīte became the director of the company. 

• In 1998, LAUTUS joined the Waste Management Association of Latvia. The director Sandra Eglīte was put forward in capacity of a medical expert to become a member of the board of association.

• In 2002, LAUTUS was admitted to the Association of Waste Management Enterprises of Latvia.

• In 2008, LAUTUS opened the largest and most modern waste treatment plant in the Baltic States.