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PMC faces HC’s ire over biowaste disposal in Patna
PATNA The Patna High Court, which has been hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on Covid management in Bihar, on Thursday took up the matter of bio-waste disposal in Patna town and said it was an issue not confined to private and government hospitals only, but also labs and homes, where people were living in isolation
PATNA
The Patna High Court, which has been hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on Covid management in Bihar, on Thursday took up the matter of bio-waste disposal in Patna town and said it was an issue not confined to private and government hospitals only, but also labs and homes, where people were living in isolation.
Not satisfied with the affidavit of the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), the court observed it “seemed to conceal more than it revealed” and wanted specific answers to its queries. “The affidavit says nothing. Do we shut our eyes on the realities? Is it the fact in Patna?” the bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sanjay Kumar observed, seeking clarity on bio-waste disposal.
“How many people are isolated at home and who is picking up garbages from those houses? How many tests are being conducted in Patna? How many tonnes of waste is being generated and collected? Which is the agency dealing with it and where is the waste being taken to? How many people are involved with that? How many PPE kits are being given in the city and to whom? These are issues for consideration,” the bench said.
The bench had directed the PMC to file a detailed affidavit regarding bio-waste collection/disposal and steps taken for sensitization of the people after the PMC’s counsel said that the IGIMS was entrusted with the responsibility of bio-waste disposal, which had outsourced the work to some private agency.
The government had earlier said in an affidavit that there were four common biomedical waste treatment facilities in the state to cover 38 districts. All waste generated from testing, treatment, diagnosis, quarantine centres and vaccination centres are collected from all health care facilities by vehicles provided by the plants and taken to treatment facilities. Testing done in fields and waste collected are also routed to treatment plans through PHCs.
PMCH course correction
Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) will fortnightly apprise the Patna HC of the outcome of the corrective steps taken to improve its functioning in the light of the court order following the reports of the three-member experts’ committee and amicus curiae Mrigank Mauli.
Appearing for the PMCH, senior counsel PK Shahi said the hospital had set up three separate committees. While the first committee is to monitor oxygen supply, the second one would oversee the arrangements in the wards and the third would be for grievance redressal. “All care and caution is being taken with regard to oxygen. Today, more than 50% beds in the wards are not occupied,” he said.
Earlier, the three-member committee constituted by the Centre on the directive of the Patna HC to examine the facilities available at the hospitals in Patna and the status of oxygen supply, had visited the PMCH and pointed to deficiencies there and made some adverse remarks in its report on the status of oxygen supply. The committee was headed by Dr Umesh Kumar Bhadani of AIIMS, Patna.
