Kashmir’s premier health institutions lag behind in scientific disposal of hazardous Bio-Medical Waste generated from all major hospitals even though the authorities claim to have adopted bar coding system to segregate the medical waste.
The environmentalists and conservationists have raised serious concerns about the scientific bio-medical waste, discharging from several healthcare institutions of the Valley, especially in Srinagar.
The environment watchdog bodies argued that the government must ensure the disposal of bio-medical waste as per the norms, especially during Covid-19.
Wakeup Budgam, an initiative by young professionals demanded that the enormous waste from SKIMS Bemina goes into the wetlands including Hokersar etc, affecting the environment. They demanded that there should be a proper check on the waste disposal mechanism.
Similarly, SKIMS Soura waste, including bio-medical substances goes into Aanchar Lake.
“Jammu and Kashmir must get new biomedical waste treatment facilities on a build, own and operate (BOO) model. Which normally happens in all the major cosmopolitan cities of India,” Nazir Khan, an activist says.
Also, the most of the waste generated from LD Hospital goes into River Jhelum from the Bund side opposite Amirakadal here.
Nadeem Qadri, a lawyer and conservationist, says that a scientific methodology was needed to dispose off the biomedical waste from the health care intuitions in the eco-fragile valley.
The sewage from GB Pant Hospital goes into River Jhelum the water of which is used as drinking water for nearby areas of Cantonment Area.
Another activist, Shabir Ahmad says that several initiatives were taken by the government. However; nothing concrete was done to upgrade the infrastructure.
Prominent doctors and researchers, Dr Muhammad Salim Khan, Dr Waseem Qureshi, and Dr MA Masoodi, said that the current practices of bio-medical waste management in Government Medical College and associated S.M.H.S. Hospital, Srinagar has been thoroughly studied.
The doctors in their argument say that the practices of bio-medical waste management include production, collection, transportation, storage, treatment and disposal technologies, and planning of Bio-Medical Waste Management and infection control in S.M.H.S. Hospital Srinagar was taken up and the recommendations were submitted to the authorities.
They say that nearly 750 are bedded, S.M.H.S. Hospital, an associated hospital of Government Medical College, Srinagar is the second biggest hospital in the valley with an annual OPD influx of more than 12 lac patients and about 4,200 inpatients admitted annually. Each in-patient patient generates about 2 kg of waste generated per annum, approximately 650 tonnes.
“Every day the BMW is collected by in-service sanitation staff-collecting, carrying in plastic in waste-dumper of Municipality,” they say, “The BMW generated is not segregated and is either burnt in an incinerator or lifted by SMC for open dumping (or landfilling), thus not fulfilling the requirements envisaged in Bio-Medical Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 1998.”
While negating the comments, the officials at the Department of Health and Medical Education informed Brighter Kashmir that the bio-medical waste is collected, transported, treated and disposed of through authorized Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBWTF). They say that a barcoding system helps us in obtaining information related to the collection of bio-medical waste. It also provides latitude and longitude information. The updates are uploaded online, including the tracking system of the vehicle that carries the waste.
However; a senior doctor, holding an administrative post in the Department of Health and Medical Education (DHSK) alleged that a non-governmental organization has been appointed to collect the waste from the health care facilities across Kashmir. The Kashmir region currently has one common biomedical waste treatment facility at Lasipora, Pulwama.
According to officials at Jammu and Kashmir State Pollution Control Board (JKPCB), nearly 6904 health care facilities with a 17200-bed capacity were covered during 2020-21. While 3 common Bio-medical waste treatment facilities treated 5941.81 Kg. Bio medical waste is generated per day.
They informed that the seven vehicles were used for collection of Bio-medical waste daily by the Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facilities while 2 vehicles were used in the Jammu region for collection of COVID-19 waste and 9 Kashmir, 4 used for collection ofCOVID-19 waste. They say that a list of health care facilities not having membership with the Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facilities and neither having captive treatment facilities were communicated on a priority basis. “At the time of agreements, training is provided to their staff,” the officials say. They say that there were no accidents reported by the Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facilities.
Pertinently, the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board (JKPCB) has been notified of the Prescribed Authority for implementing rules in Jammu & Kashmir. While as the advisory committee under the Chairmanship of the Administrative Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department has been constituted vide Govt. Order No.874-GAD of 2017 dated 07/07/2017 as per Rule 11 of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, the officials informed.
The members include representatives from the Departments of Forest, Environment & Ecology (Member Secretary of the Committee), Animal & Sheep Husbandry Department, Principal Government Medical College, Jammu/Srinagar, Director, Health Services, Jammu Kashmir, Chief Engineer, Urban Environmental Engineering Department, Member Secretary, J&K State Pollution Control Board, Director, Urban Local Bodies, Jammu/Kashmir, two non-governmental organizations from Jammu/Kashmir. The Advisory Committee constituted has to meet at least once in six months and review all matters related to the implementation of the provisions of these rules in Jammu and Kashmir.
Bio-Medical Waste (BMW) means any waste, generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biological or in health camps (Categories specified in Schedule I of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016).
Former Chairman, JKPCB, Suresh Chugh, told Brighter Kashmir, that several initiatives were taken to strengthen the biomedical waste management system in Jammu and Kashmir. He says that a bar code system has been established to help in accounting for the quantity of biomedical waste being collected, treated and disposed of.
“Biomedical waste treatment is imperative to turn toxic waste products into an energy resource,” he says.
Director, Department of Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather, told Brighter Kashmir, that hospital authorities have been directed to remove the biomedical waste under the proper scientific protocol.
He says that the bar code system helps in tracking of biomedical waste from the source of generation to the intended destination for final treatment and disposal, daily check on the occupier, transporter (involved in the transportation of bio-medical waste within health care facilities (HCF) as well as transportation of bio-medical waste from HCF to the CBMWTF.
The officials say that the coding system also helped in preventing the pilferage of bio-medical waste at HCFs as well as during the transportation of waste from HCF to the CBMWTF. Keeping a record of visits made by CBMWTF to the member HCFs for collection of waste; Identification of the source of generation of bio-medical waste, in case of waste, is disposed of improperly and creating real-time online monitoring of waste generation, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal. “Quantification of segregated bio-medical waste generated and waste collected daily by the Operator of a CBMWTF from the member HCFs, for further treatment and disposal is ensured,” he says.