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40% hospitals in State don’t follow pollution norms
Source: The Hindu, Date: , 2014
Showing scant disregard for
pollution norms, almost 40 per cent hospitals in the State have been found functioning
without required authorisation from the AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB).
A recent review by senior PCB
officials has revealed that about 375 hospitals, each housing over 50 beds,
continued to be operational without renewing authorisations that are past
expiry. The list of violators also included big corporate hospitals that had
shown little interest in abiding by the norms.
Dead line for renew
The APPCB has now set a deadline
of February 15 for these hospitals to renew their authorisation.“We have given
instructions to the hospitals to renew authorisation by this deadline, or else
we will take strict action against the management,” said APPCB Member Secretary
Sanjay Kumar.
Bio-medical waste
There are 909 hospitals – with
over 50 beds each – across the State that come under the APPCB’s ambit. These
hospitals have to obtain authorisation every three years from the board, after
satisfying various pollution norms – the most important among them being
bio-medical waste disposal.
There are 17 bio-medical waste
management facilities to which hospitals have to send their medical waste. In a
recent meeting held with the representatives of these facilities, it has been
found that many hospitals were segregating the waste erratically.
Medical waste has to be divided
into three categories or colour right at the collection centre in hospitals
itself. They are yellow colour bins (for human and animal anatomical waste),
blue or red colour bins (for used hospital equipment like scalpels, tubings)
and translucent or blue colour made with puncture proof material (for syringes
and other sharp objects).
Surprise checks
“We are sending a circular to the
zonal and regional offices to conduct frequent surprise checks on hospitals to
see if they are disposing the medical waste properly. We learnt that in
government hospitals the situation is bad as sometimes the waste is sold to
scrap dealers by staff,” said an official.A recent review by senior PCB officials reveals that about 375 hospitals
continue to be operational without renewing authorisations that are past expiry.
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