Panel: Unsegregated hospital waste leads to 40% recurrent infections

Greater Noida: Hospitals and healthcare facilities in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad are responsible for 40% of recurrent infections in patients as they don’t adhere to scientific disposal of biomedical waste through segregation, the UP Solid Waste Management Monitoring Committee has said.

Justice (retd) DP Singh, the chairman of the committee who is on a three-day tour of the three cities, told TOI on Thursday that hospitals and healthcare facilities across Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad are literally making a mockery of biomedical waste handling rules by dumping medical waste with municipal garbage.

“I have data from international source that says about 35-40% of the recurrent infections occur from hospitals and medical centres due to such negligence of non-segregated waste,” he said. “I have toured a number of healthcare facilities in these cities and found that from the corridors to the operation theatres, trash bins placed were not covered.”

Justice Singh had on Wednesday set June 30 as the deadline for covering of all open dump sites and segregation of waste at public places — including biomedical waste like needles and plastic at hospitals — in Noida and Ghaziabad.

Aparently admitting lapse in disposal of biomedical waste in government hospitals, Dr Anurag Bhargava, chief medical officer of Gautam Budh Nagar, said that Justice Singh’s observations were noted and he will ensure compliance.

“We have been told to ensure segregation of biomedical waste by June 30, which we will comply. I will inspect the hospitals and medical centres in the district with two members of the pollution control board and after June 30 if we still find any healthcare facility flouting rules, we will take strict action,” said Dr Bhargava.

Private hospitals in Noida have also welcomed the move. Dr Ayush Chauhan, executive director of Prakash Hospital in Noida, said, “Our hospital is National Accredition Board of Hospital and Healthcare Providers (NABH) compliant. NABH is the highest body in biomedical waste monitoring. We also hold a half-yearly review on that. But all hospitals should adhere to the biomedical waste rules.”

The solid waste management panel chief also ordered the Greater Noida Authority to immediately stop dumping of municipal waste on a 30-acre reserved institutional green area at the heart of the city.

“This land is reserved for developing green forest. There cannot be any dumping of municipal waste there. While I have set June 30 for all dumping to stop in the area, Greater Noida Authority has assured me to use Astoli as their designated dumping ground and begin remediation of waste dumped in the reserved area by October-November this year,” said Singh.

When contacted, Samakant Srivastava, GNIDA general manager, said, “We will float a tender within a week and finalise the bidder in couple of months to begin remediation of waste in the reserved area.”

Source : The Times of India