VIJAYAWADA: Taking cognisance of the pressing issue of hospitals and clinical establishments not following the guidelines laid down by the health department for safe disposal of medical waste, Krishna district health officials and Pollution Control Board (PCB) will soon launch a drive to enrol the erring establishments in the list of a bio-medical waste facilitating firm.
Despite being repeatedly asked to ensure bio-waste disposal, as on April 30, only about 1,000 hospitals and clinical establishments in Krishna district, or less than 60 per cent of the total establishments, have registered themselves with bio-medical waste facilitating firm Safenviron for safe disposal of wastes, as per health officials.
“Of the 1,000 hospitals and clinical establishments that are following the guidelines, 897 are private entities while the remaining are government facilities. Less than 60 per cent of the total hospitals and clinical establishments have been registered with the waste facilitator,” a health official said. According to the guidelines laid down by the health department, every hospital and medical establishment should be registered with the common facilitator to obtain license from PCB for proper disposal of bio-waste.
Any waste generated in the hospitals, pathological laboratories and health-care establishments should be segregated first and be handed over to the common facilitator, Safenviron in this case, for proper disposal.
Several clinics, RMPs, PMPs and pathological laboratories have been found erring and disposing off their waste in common municipality dumping grounds, sources revealed.
“We will launch a drive and keep strict vigil on the disposal of medical waste,” said Krishna DMHO Dr I Ramesh.
Safenviron director V Venkateswara Rao said: “Hospitals and clinical establishments are gradually coming forward to use our waste disposal services. However, many hospitals and establishments are not showing interest in disposal of medical waste. There is a lack of awareness.”