TIRUNELVELI: A large volume of biomedical, plastic, and paper waste generated by Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) was burnt on the hospital premises, prompting residents of MGR Nagar, Periyar Nagar, and Indra Nagar to file a complaint with the TvMCH dean and threaten to lay siege to the hospital, here on Wednesday.
The spot where the waste was burnt was close to the Regional Cancer Centre block of the hospital. The burnt waste included blood sample containers, saline bottles, cannulas, used gloves, expired tablets, and other plastic, food, and paper waste.
Residents and functionaries of Aathi Tamilar Katchi, who submitted a complaint to dean Dr Revathy Balan, said smoke from the burning waste was affecting people's health in nearby areas, causing breathing difficulties, asthma, and lung-related ailments. They urged the hospital administration to immediately put an end to the practice. The complainants warned that if no action was taken, they would stage a protest and lay siege to the hospital.
Meanwhile, private trucks were arranged to remove the burnt biomedical waste.
Three workers of private manpower agency suspended
When contacted by TNIE, Revathy Balan said she had suspended three workers of a private manpower agency for failing to properly segregate different types of waste. "We hand over 350kg of biomedical waste daily to a biomedical waste management company (Aseptic Systems) for proper disposal. The residential medical officers are responsible for the sanitation of TvMCH. They ensure the removal of non-biomedical general waste, such as food and plastic waste, by corporation workers. Despite their repeated request and complaints, the corporation workers did not remove the waste for the past four days. What was burnt in TvMCH was not purely biomedical waste. They were not bloodstained," she claimed.
Tirunelveli Corporation Commissioner Dr N O Sukhaputra said, "I heard that some amount of medical waste was mixed with the waste that the corporation was supposed to remove. All institutions and solid waste management companies must fulfil their respective roles in solid waste management."
In 2023, the Tirunelveli corporation imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a private hospital for burning biomedical waste on its premises. Another hospital was fined for transporting its waste to the corporation's dumping yard. At the time, medical waste was also found near TvMCH.
In December 2024, about 350 tonnes of biomedical waste from Kerala was found dumped in six different villages of Tirunelveli, and it was later sent back to Kerala.