Patna: Unscientific management and improper disposal of hazardous medical waste at UPHC Shastri Nagar, have raised serious health concerns at the key Covid-19 facility which is located at stone's throw distance from the office of the state health committee.
A field visit by ETV Bharat's reporter has revealed that the hospital authorities are not following COVID-19 waste disposal guidelines which were issued more than a year ago. It was revealed the hospital staff has been trying to incinerate hazardous bio-medical waste in the hospital premises.
This reporter spotted multiple kits, nasal swab sticks, used gloves and syringes half burnt and abandoned in the hospital premises. Medical waste was also seen carelessly discarded near a vaccination centre functioning at the hospital.
According to the guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), healthcare facilities housing COVID-19 isolation wards need to keep separate colour-coded bins/bags/containers inwards and maintain proper segregation of waste.
Read: Large number of biomedical waste found inside hospital premises in Patna
Apart from this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that there is "emerging evidence" of airborne transmission of the coronavirus.
It is feared that the negligence of hospital authorities in discarding the waste would further increase possibility of virus transmission, costing lives of more people in the area.
No training for bio-medical waste disposal
A nursing staff at the PHC said the health workers at the facility have not been trained in bio-medical waste management.
"We have been using this method for the last one year. Also, we were never trained to deal with these kinds of medical wastages. We are doing what we were told by the health officials," said Pratima Kumari, an Auxillary Nurse Midwife at the hospital.
The guidelines for COVID-19 waste management require hospital authorities to handover the hazardous waste to Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility (CBWTF).
What says the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):
“Collect and store biomedical waste separately prior to handing over the same to Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility (CBWTF). Use a dedicated collection bin labelled as ‘COVID-19’ to store COVID-19 waste and keep it separately in a temporary storage room prior to handing it over to the authorised staff of CBWTF. Biomedical waste collected in such isolation wards can also be lifted directly from ward into CBWTF collection van,” the guidelines said.
In addition to mandatory labelling, bags/containers used for collecting biomedical waste from COVID-19 wards, should be labelled as ‘COVID-19 Waste, it said adding that general waste not having contamination should be disposed of as solid waste as per Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
“As precaution double-layered bags (using 2 bags) should be used for collection of waste from COVID-19 isolation wards so as to ensure adequate strength and no-leaks."
Meanwhile, Bihar reported 6,286 fresh Covid cases and 111 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Also Read: Bihar hospitals battle odds due to lack of health workers
