4 pvt hospitals to be prosecuted

HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT UNDER THREAT 

- Bio-medical waste generated by health care facilities 
- Hospitals should ensure proper disposal 
- Disposal should not have adverse effect
- PCB officials conduct inspections every month
- Bio medical waste being mixed with municipal wastage
- Notices issued to 15 private hospitals
- Eleven hospitals take steps to segregate bio-medical waste
- The rest of four to be prosecuted 

Hyderabad: The Telangana Pollution Control Board (PCB) has issued notices to private hospitals for violating the disposal of bio-medical waste management standards.

As per Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998 under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 rules, it should be the duty of every occupier of HCF (Health Care Facility) and operator of CBMWTF (Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facility) to take all the steps to ensure that the bio-medical waste is properly handled and disposed without any adverse effect to human health and the environment. Every month the officials of PCB have been conducting inspections on the hospital to check whether they dispose the bio- medical waste properly. 

After reviewing situation with the officials of the PCB, notices will be issued to the errant hospitals and a report will be sent to the government also. A reliable source said, “A survey conducted by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) found that as many as 0.57 per cent of bio medical waste is being mixed with the municipal wastage.  Some of the hospitals dumping the bio medical waste into the municipal garbage.” 

The PCB sources said notices had been to the 15 private hospitals for violating the rules of Bio-Medical Waste management. Eleven of the hospitals had taken steps to segregate the bio-medical waste. The four hospitals, which failed to take measures to tackle the problem, would be prosecuted, sources said.