The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Check theft of medical waste”

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Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
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New Delhi

New Delhi

“Check theft of medical waste”

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Advisory to both government, private hospitals in the Capital

Poses threat to hospital staff, people in surrounding areas
If not managed properly, can prove harmful to environment

NEW DELHI: The Directorate of Health Services has advised both government and private hospitals in the Capital to urgently check pilferage of hospital waste, which it fears could be finding its way back to the sales counters through the illegal medical waste recycling markets.

Recycling of medical waste has been a major concern for the health authorities and if not managed properly can prove harmful to the environment too. It also poses a threat to the hospital staff and people in surrounding areas. Infectious waste can cause hepatitis A and B, AIDS and typhoid among other diseases.

“The Capital has two centralised waste disposal facilities which are being used to dispose of hospital waste. On an average a government hospital produces 260 gm of waste per bed each day and the figure could be 200 gm for private hospitals. We have detected serious discrepancies in the disposal of this waste and found that all re-useable bio-medical waste often ends up in the resale market. Having found routine pilferage we have cautioned all State-run hospitals and private hospitals to ensure that all the waste generated reaches the centralised facilities and is disposed of in a hygienic and environment-friendly manner,” said Dr. K. S. Baghotia, State Programme Officer (Bio-Medical Waste Management) of the Directorate of Health Services.

He said they also found that some hospitals in the Capital were disposing of waste in a haphazard, improper and indiscriminate manner.

According to the Directorate of Health Services’ “Status of Biomedical Waste Management in Delhi” report, bio-medical waste is the waste that is generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals and poor management of health care waste exposes health care workers, waste handlers and the community in the form of fatal infections, geno-toxicity and physical injuries. About 75-90 per cent of the waste produced by health care providers is non-hazardous, while 10-25 per cent is hazardous waste and of this 5-10 per cent waste is often picked up for illegal recycling.

“We have also asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to ensure that hospitals comply with the existing waste disposal norms. We have also advised hospitals to educate their staff on the importance of ensuring that all waste is disposed in a proper manner. They are our best bet to ensure that sub-standard, infected waste is not re-circulated in the market and that patients are not lured to buy them and be exposed to various kinds of infections,” said Dr. Baghotia.

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