Bio-medical waste a health hazard in Jharkhand

According to reports from Jharkhand state pollution control board (JSPCB) and environmentalists, around 60 per cent of bio-medical wastes from hospitals, nursing homes and clinics across state, which is untreated due to unavailability of proper disposal facilities.

The pollution board further stated that the state has around 5,500 hospitals, nursing homes and clinics but only two common bio-medical waste incineration facilities are operational. There are half a dozen incinerators in quite a few government and private hospitals but they use the facility for their individual purposes.

A recent survey conducted by environmental group Toxic Link and Lok Swar NGO has claimed to have found that these hospitals produce around 4,700 tons of bio-medical waste annually of which around 2,700 tons (59 per cent) are left untreated. The survey was conducted in 31 government and private hospitals of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Deoghar.
The study further highlighted that 90 per cent of the surveyed hospitals are flouting the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016.

The study further says 42 per cent of wards, 13 per cent of nursing stations, 39 per cent of laboratories and six percent of OPDs did not even have proper colour coded waste bins.
According to physicians, infectious waste including blood or other body fluids, culture that contain bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi could invite a plethora of diseases, which can even be life-threatening.

In Ranchi, there are more than 200 hospitals and clinics, but incinerator facilities are available only in two hospitals.
Ranchi-based Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) has an incinerator of 100 kg per hour, but untreated bio-medical wastes could be found littered in the backyard of incinerator units. “The capacity of the incinerator is 100kg per hour. But it is used only for hospital wastes. Other hospitals in the city are not allowed here,” said one of the incinerator operator at RIMS.

In Dhanbad, despite High Court’s directive, no arrangement for scientific treatment of bio- medical waste was made till date. On February 17, 2016, the HC bench of the then chief justice Virendra Singh and justice S Chandrashekhar had expressed concern over dumping biomedical wastes in public places.

There are 294 big and small private nursing homes and clinics in Dhanbad and Bokaro, which fall under jurisdiction of Dhanbad regional pollution board area. The private hospitals claim to get their bio-medical waste treated at 120 kms away Bio-Genetic Laboratory Ramgarh through private agency daily. However, neither pollution board nor officials at Dhanbad and Bokaro civic bodies have any idea whether private hospitals dispose of bio-medical waste there.