Hospital wastes

What is particularly shocking is that, waste disposal is not treated as an integral part of hospital management. The health hazards that people are exposed to, when roads are littered with hospital wastes, are completely overlooked. Even the hospitals, having modern equipment and facilities, seem to be blissfully oblivious of the need to have a waste disposal mechanism.

The problem is multiplied by the fact that street children and rag pickers collect the used syringes and other recyclable materials from the wastes. They of course are not aware of the possibility of being infected with fatal diseases. So, indiscriminate disposal of hospital wastes not only pollutes the environment but also poses a grave threat to the people who come in touch with these harmful substances.

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The picture that we get speaks volumes for the total indifference shown by the hospital authorities to our environmental and hygiene needs. Many of the hospitals have introduced treatment facilities comparable to any modern hospital in a developed country. But they show a poor understanding of the problems associated with primitive waste disposal. They are not even utilising waste disposal services introduced by an NGO--apparently to avoid a small expenditure.

Obviously, private initiatives can help mitigate the problem, but these cannot be the answer to the huge task on our hands. The health authorities should address the issue in right earnest and ask the hospitals to introduce safe waste disposal methods in the interest of public health. There should be greater coordination among the DCC and hospitals and clinics, so that a safe waste disposal system can be evolved.

Outbreak of various diseases in the city is a regular phenomenon these days. However, we cannot deal with the problem if hospitals violate health and hygiene rules so blatantly.