Jajpur: Management of biomedical waste has gone haywire in Jajpur district, even as the state government has appointed a private agency to look after the proper disposal of the waste.
The norm requires that any person or agency engaged in disposal of biomedical waste should do so with the due approval of the state pollution control board. These agencies or persons should ensure that the waste does not affect human health or environment and any violation would invite necessary action from the board.
However, biomedical wastes are found dumped on roads and in dustbins of the civic bodies in the district. This has happened due to lack of stringent action and regular monitoring on the part of the health authorities.
Moreover, the private pathology laboratories, nursing homes and livestock farms responsible for disposal of wastes should also get themselves registered with the competent authority failing which they are liable to be convicted under Sections 5 and 15 of the Pollution Control Act. The secretary of the SPCB in his letter-14326, dated-December 4, 2018 has informed hospitals and pathology labs about these guidelines.
However, none of them are sticking to these rules and working towards proper disposal of medical wastes. Blood soaked cotton, plastic saline bottles, catheters, empty blood packets, syringes, needles and injection ampoules could be seen lying strewn on roads or in the dustbins. These biomedical wastes can lead to serious health hazards if they are not properly disposed.
The state government has appointed a private agency, Mediera, for disposal of the wastes and is spending lakhs from the state exchequer for the purpose.
However, the agency is allegedly not collecting the wastes from all the hospitals in the district except for a few hospitals. It is alleged that sometimes it also burns these wastes while sometimes it buries them.
The nursing homes, pathology laboratories and health centres do not process the wastes generated from their institutions and instead dump them in the roadside dustbins and drains. Gayatri, a private agency, which is in handling waste disposal in Jajpur Road collects the wastes and dumps them near the railway tracks passing by the Vyasa Sarovar. What is worrisome is that many of these private hospitals and pathology labs are running for the last several years without renewing their licenses.
When contacted, chief district medical officer Barish Kumar Das said he is planning to conduct surprise raids to arrest the violators and punish them.
PNN
