| GMC forgoes norms for disposal of infectious hospital waste | | Patients, visitors, staff at grave risk | | Akshay Azad
JAMMU, July 7: Brazen violation of norms governing disposal of infectious hospital waste at Government Medical College Jammu has exposed patients, staff and visitors to grave health risk and the administration has turned a blind eye to the breach.
According to norms for Health institutions in state, the proper Bio-medical waste management requires different coloured (Black/yellow/blue) bins lined with same coloured polythene bags.
"The infectious waste generated in such hospitals which cannot be chemically disinfected like organs, placenta and amputated parts should be sent in yellow bags for deep burial or an incinerator", the norms read as but according to doctors at GMC, there was no implementation of scientific segregation practices as there was no plastic bags available in the hospital for the last more than four months.
Doctors at GMC informed that for the last many months, all type of waste including biomedical waste has been dumped randomly in all wards. "Foul smell emanates from the bins, making it hard to stand for attendants. During evening hours, sweepers visited the wards and dumped all waste material to a garbage trolley without segregation", he said.
An official informed that some months back, a training workshop was also organized in the hospital, in which the staff was made aware of scientific management of Bio-Medical waste. "Due to no usage of polythene bags in the garbage bins, the waste is stick to walls of bins, providing suitable atmosphere for bacteria to generate", a doctor said.
He further said that when the Minister for Health and Medical Education took over the charge, he had reportedly said, "the condition of GMC is virtually like a butcher house and I wish I may not die in the hospital."
The Minister had also resolved to bring a revolutionary change in the hospital, particularly in sanitation in three months but contrary to his claims, the sanitation has becoming bad to worse with each passing day.
Sources in hospital informed that a consignment of polythene bags, meant for GMC, has been seized at Lakhanpur by Commercial Tax department. "The polythene bags were transported to state without payment of commercial tax at Lakhanpur, and were seized creating problems in GMC", he said.
Commercial Tax Deputy Commissioner Lakhanpur, Pankaj Magotra said that a consignment of polythene bags was seized around three months back. "It might be due to nonpayment of duty tax but so far no firm has approached them for release of consignment", he said.
The cell phone of Medical Superintendent Ravinder Rattan Pal was switched off, while despite repeated calls to deputy medical superintendent Dr. Wasik Rasool, he didn't pick up his phone. |
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