The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Things change for better at SCB Medical College

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Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
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Things change for better at SCB Medical College

Pradip Kumar Das

Thanks to strict enforcement of Bio-medical Waste Rules

CUTTACK: If you are among those — who believe that visiting a government hospital for treatment of malaria, you would return with a bout of diarrhoea, then think over it once again.

Cleanliness and sanitation have undergone a sea-change in government hospitals and nursing homes over these years, thanks to strict promulgation of Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules of 1998.

Things are changing for good, at least for SCB Medical College and Hospital here.

The largest and oldest referral hospital of the State recently completed the World Health Organisation (WHO) assisted hospital waste management project successfully.

For an effective management of waste, the hospital now has installed an incinerator (electric chullah) to burn the waste.

“Besides the hospital has put to use a shredder and compactor for mutilating the plastic waste materials while sophisticated instruments like microwave, hydroclave are now being used to treat the huge waste materials generated form the hospital”, said the hospital superintendent D.N.Moharana.

Providing constant medical services to the people, with combined bed strength of 1,200, the hospital generates nearly 1,800 kg. of waste per day with an average of 1.5 kg per day per bed. Since 10 to 15 per cent of these waste were infectious, dumping them along with non-infectious waste were hazardous.

For this dubious distinction, the hospital was picked up along with 10 other hospitals of the country to take up waste-management project.

Distinction

The State pollution control board was constantly monitoring the progress of the Rs. 1.5 crore-project in the Cuttack hospital.

Completing the project in record time, the hospital now has ensured a full-proof treatment of waste by disinfecting them chemically.

“While the biodegradable wastes are burnt in the electric chullah, the non-biodegradable wastes like polythene, syringes, catheter and I.V. sets are thoroughly treated with formalin and bleaching powder before they are mutilated in shredder”, says the project chairman doctor B.K.Das of the hospital.

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