Government and private hospitals, health centres, clinics and dispensaries generate enormous bio-medical waste. Very few people know two important things about this waste. Firstly it is highly contagious and hence dangerous, and secondly, how and where it is disposed of. Often in these columns we have spoken about the need of scientific treatment of bio-medical waste in accordance with the practices prevalent in developed as well as developing countries. As bio-medical waste is of tremendous hazards to human and animal health, its proper disposal in accordance with established norms recommended by concerned government authorities is of high importance. Just having the mechanism of its waste is not enough; the mechanism has to be functional and its checking on day to day basis has to be ensured.
The country has a constitutionally sanctioned body called National Green Tribunal (NGT) with the mandate of ensuring that all government and privately run hospitals in the country adhere to the conditions of collection, transportation and disposal of the bio-medical waste in accordance with law and the affidavits submitted by the hospitals. It is an agency with dual function of advice as well as monitoring. Since it is a body sanctioned by the constitution, it has the authority to call for reports on observance of rules by the State Pollution Control Board and the State government.
In a recent observation, the Tribunal has told the J&K Government as well as the State Pollution Control Board that the report submitted to it on the status of scientific disposal of bio-medical waste in the State Government Hospitals is not satisfactory. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said that report filed by the State Pollution Control Board in relation to the observance of rules by State hospitals was inadequate. Consequently, the Tribunal has directed Jammu and Kashmir Government and State Pollution Control Board to file a comprehensive report before it about the hospitals which were not complying with bio-medical waste rules and the action proposed to be taken against them. The finding of the NGT about some of the hospitals in the State is disappointing and a reflection on the sense of responsibility with the hospital functionaries. From the verdict of the court it appears that the State Government or the State Pollution Control Board have not even drawn the list of the hospitals, both Government and private, that these hospitals are allowed to function to the detriment of general public.
We have big Government hospitals in the State. These cater to hundreds of thousands of patients annually. The magnitude of bio-medical waste emanating from these hospitals can be imagined by telling our readers that Srinagar alone generates 400 metric tonnes of waste every day indicating as to what facilities are required before the entire city is converted into a dumping ground. Add to the number of Government hospitals in the State, the private hospitals and dispensaries that also generate waste. This gives us an idea about in what hazardous environments and pollution we are living. The Tribunal says that it has the competence of taking any befitting actions against the defaulting hospitals in the State but it would prefer giving one more chance to them and to the State Pollution Control Board to mend their house. Significantly, the Tribunal has also asked the State Government and the Pollution Control Board to produce a status report on the waste disposal arrangements made by the State Government. The Tribunal has also sought this information in addition to the number and names of the hospitals in the State that have not complied with the rules and norms set forth for disposal of bio-medical waste. Interestingly, the Tribunal has asked the State Government to inform it what action it has taken against the defaulting hospitals.
This, indeed, is a sad commentary on the functionality of our hospital, health department and the State Pollution Control Board. It is a serious matter because the health of the general public and of the patients in these hospitals is involved. If the comments of the NGT about some of the defaulting Government hospitals are so disappointing, what will be the condition in private hospitals?
We strongly recommend the Health Department of the State takes serious notice of the comments of National Green Tribunal and consequently takes steps to put bio-medical waste collection and disposal task in place. Both tasks viz. identifying the hospitals that are not observing standard norms and the system of disposal according to scientific methods have to be performed expeditiously to protect health of the people and the patients.
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