CHENNAI: Segregating and disposing of bio-medical waste is a rather easy procedure at the Chengalpattu Government Medical College and Hospital. Forget rules; just put them into a polythene bag and set it on fire on the campus, without paying heed to the impact it would have on human health and the environment.
When Express visited the campus on Tuesday, dogs, pigs and donkeys were feeding on the remaining bio-medical waste, which the workers had burnt without any safety measures in place, oblivious of the Biomedical waste (Management and Handling) Rules.
As the dogs followed her, a worker from the hospital’s casualty block brought a big polythene bag filled with bio-medical waste — syringes, intravenous fluid tubes, bottles, gloves, blood-soaked cotton etc. with her bare hands. She dumped it just outside the block where patients and visitors were seated for lunch. She then took out a matchbox and set the waste on fire.
Just a few feet away, a dog was rummaging through a heap of waste in a dustbin. As visitors dumped food waste into the bin, the dog jumped inside. Hundreds of people pass by these waste-filled areas, but the hospital management seems unconcerned about the health hazard to the staff, patients and those living in the neighbourhood.
When contacted, hospital dean Dr Gunasekaran denied that waste was being handled irresponsibly. “We are following proper segregation and disposal of bio-medical waste. A designated team collects the waste and takes it to a common treatment facility for disposal,” he claimed. “I go for inspection every day and have never seen any of the staff indulge in such activities,” he added.