Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee has issued notices to 17 hospitals and nursing homes in the city to obtain authorisation and to take steps to dispose of bio-medical waste after proper treatment/disposal. The list includes the PGI, General Hospital, Sector 16, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and various nursing homes.

There are more than 300 health care units in the city required to dispose waste as per Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, for which different methods have been prescribed for the disposal of waste.

There are three hospitals with 500 or more beds, which have provided incinerator and other treatment facilities of their own and the CPCC has asked them to improve the systems like installation of Air Pollution Control Device on incinerator. These hospitals are having their own chemical treatment and shredding facilities.

The PGI, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and General Hospital, Sector 16, have provided various facilities at the hospital for waste disposal like provision of needle destroyer and different coloured bins for collection of different kind of waste for segregation at source.

Small nursing homes and Indian Medical Association have engaged a service provider to transport their incinerator waste to the PGI. This service provider collects waste from each nursing home/hospital/clinic and other health care units to ensure proper handling and disposal of bio-medical waste in scientific manner, in compliance to the Bio-Medical Waste Rules, 1998.

About 329 health care units are utilizing this facility as installation of treatment facilities in small nursing homes is costly and not feasible.

As many as 40 government dispensaries and 13 veterinary dispensaries and hospitals are also using the facility of service provider for transportation of their bio-medical waste to the Government Hospital, Sector 16 for treatment.

Under these rules, all the nursing homes, hospitals and other health care units, which are having in-door facility for treating more than 1000 patients per month, are required to obtain authorization from the CPCC.