No Gurgaon hospital has permit to discard biomedical waste

The Times of India , Thursday, July 02, 2015
Correspondent : TNN
GURGAON: The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said on Wednesday none of the 85 hospitals in the city have applied for authorization for disposing of biomedical waste (BMW).

This includes the government-run General Hospital in Sector 10. "None of the city hospitals, including a government one, follow our biomedical waste disposal norms. We've sent a show cause notice to General Hospital and final notices to the rest," said an HSPCB official.

It is mandatory for hospitals and clinics, even those without indoor wards, to get their authorization for disposing of BMW renewed every three years. Permits for most city hospitals ran out in 2014. "Most of the defaulters are clinics and small hospitals, run by a single doctor. We can keep a check on segregation, collection and disposal of the waste only when a hospital or clinic gets the authorization," said a senior HSPCB officer.

On an average, 2kg of BMW is generated per bed per day in a hospital. While health care establishments (HCEs) are responsible for segregation of waste, it is mandatory for them to have an agreement with authorized service providers who collect BMW and dispose of it legally.

To segregate waste, hospitals and clinics have to maintain four colour-coded dustbins � blue, red, black and yellow. Collected waste is not expected to be stored in dustbins for more than 24 hours. Only authorized service providers are permitted to collect and dispose of it.

In Haryana, HSPCB is responsible for enforcing Bio-Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998, of the Government of India. Time-to-time, it conducts inspections on BMW generating units, and checks records of generation, storage, treatment and disposal of BMW that are maintained by the units. The board then submits the information to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). "HSPCB will impose heavy penalty on defaulters, and take legal action against them if required," said a HSPCB official.

About the dangers of disposing of BMW unlawfully, citizens' activist Ruchika Sethi, who focuses on waste segregation and processing, said, "Hazardous waste can cause air pollution, contaminate groundwater, lead to Hepatitis B and HIV. I've found from scrap dealers that in the absence of compliance by hospitals, BMW from some is even reaching the informal recycling industry." She added that sanitation workers are worst affected by the illegal disposal of BMW.

Refuting HSPCB's claims, Dr Jai Bhagwan, medical superintendent at General Hospital, said, "We have been authorized by the board and have relevant documents to prove it. I think there is some confusion because of the recent transfer of officials at the board."

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/No-Gurgaon-hospital-has-permit-to-discard-biomedical-waste/articleshow/47903903.cms
 


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