Indian Express 21.01.2010
Bio-medical waste: Notices to hospitals in Satara, Solapur
Months after notices were issued to 56 hospital establishments in Pune, 177 hospitals and clinics in Solapur and Satara districts have been issued show-cause notices by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for not treating their bio-medical waste. MPCB officials said the Pune hospitals had paid the fines and authorisation certificates had been issued to them.
The MPCB is conducting a special drive to identify health care set-ups that have not taken the mandatory authorisation for generation of bio-medical waste and also have not joined the common facility for treatment of the waste. A private agency had been appointed last year to conduct this survey where 56 such hospitals in Pune were identified, said P K Mirashe, regional officer of MPCB, Pune region. While these hospitals have been regularised now as they have paid their fines, the MPCB has intensifed the drive in the interior parts of Pune to identify other such errant health care establishments who have failed to avail of the authorisation.
The Bio Medical Waste (Management and Handling) rules make it mandatory on the part of clinical establishments to obtain an authorisation certificate for generating bio-medical waste. According to Dr D D Chandakkar, deputy health officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) there are a total of 531 hospitals in the corporation area and 556 health care set up within 5 km of Pune who have joined the common facility for disposal of biomedical waste.
A total of 12 blood banks, 155 pathology laboratories and 1300 dispensaries have joined the common facility and the around 1000 kg of bio medical waste is now being disposed at the newly installed incinerator at Kailash crematorium premises.
For more than a year the bio-medical waste from Pune was being transported to Pimpri-Chinchwad, Talegaon and places near Thane for disposal as the central facility in Pune was shut owing to repairs. According to Chandakkar, the facility has now started functioning and Pune's bio-medical waste is being disposed here.
Meanwhile Mirashe has stated that hospitals who have been issued show cause notices have been instructed to apply for the authorisation within seven days.
