The Lord Mahavir Civil Hospital here is in the dock after its biomedical waste, including blood-soaked bandages and human placenta, was found lying outside the designated area, making it easily accessible to rag pickers and stray dogs and increasing the risk of infections among the community.
Biomedical waste, including blood-soaked bandages, human body parts, and used surgical masks, were found scattered around the hospital premises being used to dump general waste. The designated area for disposing of biomedical waste shares its boundary with the general waste dump yard of the health facility. However, the absence of a boundary wall has allowed outsiders, including ragpickers and stray dogs, to freely enter the area. This has resulted in the hazardous waste being spread outside the designated zone, raising concerns over the spread of infections.
Kawaldeep Kaur, an environmental engineer (XEN) from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), stated, “Our team visited the site this evening and confirmed the presence of biomedical waste mixed with general waste, including human placenta and blood soaked bed sheets. We will take action against the civil hospital as per the Biomedical Waste Management Rules of 2016.”
According to the PPCB’s Monitoring Framework for the Implementation of Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016, hospitals are expected to provide a secure and well-ventilated location within their premises for the storage of segregated biomedical waste in colour-coded bags or containers.
{{/usCountry}}According to the PPCB’s Monitoring Framework for the Implementation of Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016, hospitals are expected to provide a secure and well-ventilated location within their premises for the storage of segregated biomedical waste in colour-coded bags or containers.
{{/usCountry}}This is to prevent secondary handling, pilferage of recyclables, or inadvertent scattering or spillage by animals. The biomedical waste should then be transported directly to a common biomedical waste treatment facility for appropriate treatment and disposal.
Dr. Arshpreet, the current nodal officer for biomedical waste management at the hospital, expressed concerns about the boundary wall, stating, “Due to the broken boundary wall, a lot of outsiders enter the premises and dump their waste inside the facility too. As for the biomedical waste of the hospital, it is segregated and stored in colour-coded bags for further disposal.”
“We will scrutinise the CCTV footage to identify those responsible for dumping hazardous waste outside the designated area,” she said.