The City Veterinary Hospital fails to dispose of biomedical waste properly, raising risk of infections.
The area surrounding the City Veterinary Hospital in Chamarajpet is littered with biomedical waste as the hospital does not dispose of it in the required manner and pourakarmikas refuse to deal with because it is not segregated.
Rukhsaar, a citizen who resides near the hospital said, “When I walk by the hospital with my son, he tends to pick up syringes dumped outside the hospital. I worry that they may be infected or carry viruses.”
Lokesh, junior inspector working in the hospital said, “We put the biomedical waste such as syringes, medicine glass bottles and animal fur in a green polythene bag that we keep in a room until the vendor from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike collects it.” He added that the vendors collect the waste twice a week.
Shivanna, Assistant Executive Engineer of BBMP, said, “The assigned vendors for biomedical waste are allotted on specific days in a week. Mostly they visit twice a week and collect the waste only if it is segregated and is packed securely.”
The drivers and waste collectors of the compactors and auto tippers collecting waste outside the hospital said, “When we collect the waste which is dumped outside the hospital, it is usually household waste. The biomedical waste is always lying on the road, which we are not responsible for as it is not segregated and disposed of properly.”
As per the Solid Waste Management Rules- 2016 by the BBMP, the hazardous bio medical waste has to be segregated and has to be handed over to the waste handlers in a proper disposable manner to the allotted vendors by the BBMP or by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. Hospitals not following the rules are fined.
Biohazardous waste contains various bacteria and viruses that can cause potential risks to waste collectors (Pourakarmikas), general public and even healthcare workers. It can spread infections to animals and it can also lead to release of harmful chemicals into the environment, said Dr.Asima, Principal of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.
She also said, “The negligence of not disposing the waste properly can lead to legal actions or penalties taken by the authorities and can also damage the reputation of the hospital.”
