AHMEDABAD: The state of Gujarat generates over 52,800 kg of biomedical waste per day. During Post Covid-19 pandemic, the amount of biomedical waste in the state has increased by 30 per cent. According to statistics presented in Lok Sabha by the Union Ministry of Forest Environment, Gujarat ranks fifth in the country in terms of biomedical waste. In 2020, Gujarat produced 49,492 kg of medical waste per day which has risen to 52,800 kg per day in 2021.
Moreover, some medical professionals have stated that Ahmedabad alone is responsible for over 60 per cent of the state’s overall medical waste production. However, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner M Thennarson has claimed that the health care system in the city is excellent which may indicate that the amount of medical waste is high.
“It being a centre and also because of the affordable health facilities, lots of NRIs are coming to Ahmedabad for health care, leading the city to become a medical tourism spot. I am not saying it is the reason, but it could be one of the reasons for the rise in bio-medical waste. We have an agency that collects biomedical waste from hospitals and disposes of it in a scientific way,” said Thennarasan. However, environmentalists have rejected the municipal commissioner’s claims.
Mahesh Pandya, an environmentalist, claimed: “Private individuals have been given contracts to collect biomedical waste in Gujarat, and a fee has been set so that if you give your biomedical waste, the doctor will pay Rs 30.”
“The issue is that when there is an epidemic, this waste suddenly increases, and private contractors do not increase their space or facility for it because they cannot afford to keep that space after the epidemic, so such people throw medical waste anywhere and jeopardise people’s lives,” Pandya said.
Senior physician Dr Yogesh Gupta, said, “Hospitals and other health facilities generate an ever-increasing amount of waste, approximately 15 per cent of which may be infectious, toxic, or radioactive. Healthcare waste contains potentially harmful microorganisms, which can infect hospital patients, health workers, and the general public. This waste is being generated faster than other environmental pollutants, including greenhouse gases.”
“Biomedical waste issue came to highlight in 2009 in the state when more than 240 people were infected with Hepatitis B because of the reuse of syringes. 1998, 2011, and 2016 were the years when the framework was laid down by the government. Even today in India, the knowledge and the practice in the healthcare industry are not satisfactory. Strict implementation of rules is necessary and is the need of the hour,” said Gupta.
The Central Pollution Control Board has launched a mobile application called ‘COVID-19BWM APP’ to ensure that biomedical waste is collected, transported and sent to a registered common biomedical waste treatment facility. There were complaints about the proper disposal of biomedical waste in Gujarat during Covid-19. Pictures of PPE kits, masks, and gloves being thrown outside hospitals, cemeteries, and many other public places went viral on social media.