State government serves notices to 18 hospitals over non-compliance of bio-waste rules

The Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) has issued notices to 18 government and private hospitals, including AIIMS Raipur, for allegedly ignoring the rules for disposal of bio-medical waste.

"On the direction of Chief Minister Raman Singh, the Board has intensified its vigilance to check pollution in the hospital premises.

"In this line, 18 hospitals, including five major government hospitals, have been served show cause notices for ignoring the rules for disposal of bio-medical waste," CECB Chairman and Principal Secretary to the housing and environment department N Baijendra Kumar said in a statement on Sunday.

The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Raipur, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital, Raipur, district hospital at Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences ( CIMS), Bilaspur and district hospital Korba, are prominent among those issued notices, he said.

Similarly, notices have also been slapped on the Shrishti Institute of Medical Science ~~amp;amp; Research Centre, Korba, Mission Hospital, Bilaspur and other hospitals, the officer said.

"These hospitals have been given time for disposal of their medical waste as early as possible in an appropriate and scientific manner. If they fail to do so then stern action will be taken against them," Kumar said.

He said the Board will continue to take action against medical institutions which have been violating bio-medical waste (management and handling) rules 1998 of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986.

"The Board is not only examining the bio-waste handling facilities available with medical institutions, but also those offering common waste treatment facilities," Kumar said.

The CECB had been carrying out inspections to check whether medical institutions are scientifically treating their bio medical waste.

"So far, 515 medical institutions, including hospitals, nursing homes and pathological laboratories, are brought under the purview of the law," the statement said.

The CECB wants to ensure that all these institutions strictly follow the rules and manage their bio-medical waste properly, Kumar said.