Proper disposal of bio-medical waste in big hospitals is a pre-requisite that has to be in place in any case. It is much more dangerous for human health in comparison to any other waste. Modern technology has made many necessary improvements in the process of disposing off this waste. In technical terminology, we call it Bio-Medical Waste (BMW) Disposal Plant. The upgraded plant for the SMGS Hospital and the newly installed plant at Chest & Diseases (CD) Hospital, Jammu are lying unused for over one year owing to the negligence of the concerned Mechanical Division (MD), which failed to comply with the Government guidelines for Bio-medical waste treatment facilities while erecting Incineration plants at both hospitals. Health Department has invested quite a bit in providing the plants to the hospitals but these have not become functional yet. This is more a technical rather than administrative problem. The existing Incineration plant in the hospital, with the capacity of 25 kg/hr, was upgraded to the capacity of 50 kg/hr in the year 2014 by spending an approximate amount of Rs 35 lakh and a similar plant of the capacity of 25 Kg/hr was installed in CD hospital with almost same expenditure.
State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has a role in this matter and it cited some shortcomings in the plants and asked the Mechanical Division, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), to comply with the points raised by it and submit the compliance report to the Board within 15 days. The points raised by the Pollution Control Board are mostly technical in nature and it should have been possible for the Mechanical Division of the Hospital to comply with the instructions. Implementation of guidelines of the Pollution Control Board involves certain expenditures and the entire matter has come to a grinding halt on that point. Our information is that for want of a small sum to meet the expenses for implementing the guidelines, the two plants crucial to the pollution control are lying unused. This is a sordid story. Carelessness and apathy towards public health has become the habit of authorities at the helm of affairs. Why were not the guidelines of Pollution Control Board taken into account at the time of preparing the budget for the BMW plant is the crux of the issue. Hospital authorities are waiting for the Government to release funds and then its Mechanical Division would proceed with the fulfillment of conditions stipulated in the guidelines of the Pollution Control Board. This seems a long and complicated process and unless authorities understand the urgency of the matter, its solution in near future seems doubtful.
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