Hospitals told to set up waste treatment facility

SHIMLA: The State Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (SEPPCB) has directed all healthcare institutions, both government and private, to set up liquid waste treatment facility and phase out the use of polythene bags, gloves and blood bags within two years.

HP State Pollution Control Board chairman Kuldeep Singh Pathania addresses a workshop on bio-medical waste management in Shimla on Monday. Tribune photo

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 24

The State Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (SEPPCB) has directed all healthcare institutions, both government and private, to set up liquid waste treatment facility and phase out the use of polythene bags, gloves and blood bags within two years.

The Indira Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, (DRPGMC), Tanda, does not have any liquid bio-medical waste treatment facility, revealed scientists on the sidelines of a workshop on biomedical waste organised by the SEPPCB here today.

SEPPCB Principal Scientific Officer Dr Manoj Chauhan said the bio-medical liquid waste was infectious as it was released by hospitals into municipal sewers.

“We have asked all health institutions to put in place a system of treating biomedical liquid waste and ensure compliance of new biomedical waste disposal rules, 2016, as notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests within one year,” said Kuldeep Pathania, chairman, SEPPCB. “Private clinics have to tie-up with operators engaged in the disposal of biomedical waste or else they will have to face action,” he added.

The private operators have set up biomedical waste treatment plants in Solan and Kullu but the Kangra biomedical waste treatment plant was yet to function. Locals have moved the court demanding shifting of the plant to some other place. The biomedical waste produced in Hamirpur, Kangra, Chamba and Una is being disposed of in the Pathankot bio-medical treatment plant, revealed officials.

But the Centre should allot adequate funds to re-jig the Health Department and the Pollution Board to implement new rules and regulations, said Tarun Kapoor, Principal Secretary, Environment, Science and Technology.

The new regulations like bar codes for bags and containers containing bio-medical waste will check pilferage of waste that would improve the management of bio-medical waste, he added.

SEPPCB’s member secretary Dr Sanjay Sood said the healthcare institutions would set up on-the-site pre–treatment facility for liquid waste prescribed by the WHO and meet discharge standards as prescribed under new rules.