VIJAYAWADA: Handling and disposal of the biomedical waste is still in its infancy in the city. Many hospitals and pathological labs have not yet registered with the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) for proper waste disposal and are not following guidelines stipulated for bio-waste management.
Disposing biomedical waste as normal municipal waste is hazardous to the environment and the public health.
As per the guidelines, every hospital and medical establishment should have a tie-up with a common facilitator to obtain the license from PCB for proper disposal of bio-waste.
Any waste generated in the hospitals, pathological laboratories and other healthcare establishments should be segregated first and then be handed over to the common facility centre for proper disposal.
According to the new rules laid down by the Ministry of Environment, bio-medical waste would be segregated into four color-coded categories. These are - Yellow, Red, Blue and White. The segregated waste of human and animal anatomical waste, mcro and bio-technical waste and solid chemical waste would come under the Yellow code.
The treatment apparatus like needles, syringes and other sharp materials come under the White code.The medical plastics and contaminated general waste come under Red and Blue codes respectively.
Very few of the registered medical establishments are following these guidelines. Many clinics, RMPs, PMPs and pathology labs are ignoring these guidelines and disposing the waste as common municipal waste. Only 464 establishments are disposing the waste through the facility center as against the total of 1,600 clinical establishments, including blood banks, diagnostic centers, clinics, pathological labs, in the city.
“We found that many clinics are not following the guidelines and are dumping the waste into normal garbage bins. Improper disposal causes viral diseases and might even lead to the emission of poisonous gases,”says Praja Arogya Vedika State Convener S Suresh The officials of PCB, however, say that most of the hospitals are following the guidelines and disposing through facility centers. As many as 11 facility centers are functioning in the state and they collect over 8.4 metric tonnes of bio-medical waste daily.
Around 5,000 hospitals in the state have been enrolled with the PCB. The PCB is also planning to take up an enrollment drive in in the coming months.
“The city alone is generating 2 metric tonnes of biomedical waste everyday and Safenviron company is the common facilitator for Krishna district. All the bio-waste would be collected within 48 hours. To avail of the services from the facilitator, the medical establishments should enroll with the PCB by paying a nominal enrollment fee. We usually charge Rs 100 per bed per year and collect renewal amount of Rs 50 each year. The pathological labs and blood banks must enroll by paying Rs 1,000 every year.” says APPCB regional director M Narayana.
The disposal of the bio-medical waste will mainly depend on the segregation.
The anatomical waste would have to be disposed of through incineration and whatever remains has to be dumped into a sediment pit. The plastics and contaminated waste would have to go into
furnace and be burnt at 1,200 degrees C.
The sharps and other metallic waste would have to go through Auto clay process.
“The hospitals and other clinical establishments have been coming forward in using our services for the disposal of waste. We usually charge Rs 4 per bed per day in all private hospitals and charge Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 for path labs on a monthly basis. As many as 640 hospitals are utilising our services in Krishna district.
Though the pathology labs are yet to enroll, we are trying to reach all the labs. The segregation process is more complicated under the amended guidelines. Lack of awareness among the para medical staff is making matters worse,” says Safenviron director.