Aurangabad: The Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) might make itself liable for a huge amount as penalty for serious violation of biomedical waste rules issued by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
The TOI has found the state-run hospital has been dumping its biomedical waste in an open space within its premises. Around 5 to 6 tonne waste can be seen dumped at the site opposite medicine ward while a large quantity of the waste has been buried under the ground by the hospital administration. The waste is a mixture of biodegradable, non-biodegradable solid waste and biomedical waste including syringes, used cotton, bandage and medicine bottles.
The biomedical waste management (BMWM) rules 2016 restricts from establishing an on-site or captive biomedical waste treatment and disposal facility. Instead, it directs that an agency that runs a Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBMWTF) be given the responsibility for the collection, reception, storage, transport, treatment, disposal or any other form of handling of biomedical waste. The guidelines also bar the biomedical waste generator (hospitals, labs, blood bank or dispensary) from mixing its biomedical waste with the solid waste.
As per rules, the biomedical waste generator should make a provision within the premises for a safe, ventilated and secured location for storage of segregated biomedical waste in coloured bags or containers.
The AMC has looped in a private agency named Watergrace Waste Management Company to dispose of all the biomedical waste generated in the city. Deva Hire of Watergrace said that the company collects the biomedical waste from the institutions on a tipping fee specified in the contract.
Incidentally, the AMC had stopped collecting the waste from GMCH earlier this month owing to the city’s ongoing waste crisis. The state-run hospital has been directed by the municipal corporation and the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Mumbai to treat its solid waste according to the solid waste management rules.
Consequently, the hospital authority are looking out for ways to begin the treatment of the solid waste it generates. An awareness workshop was held in the hospital for the same on Wednesday. Medical superintendent Bharat Sonawane had expressed readiness of the institution to treat its waste. However, the ground situation was found contrary to the claims.
When contacted, AMC’s officer for zone 1 Bhalchandra Paithane said that he is unaware that the GMCH dumping its biomedical waste. If it is found violating BMWM rules 2016, AMC will take action and penalise accordingly, he said.
