Hospital waste disposal irks residents

Suggest implementation of effective waste management system

With no solution around the corner, most of the organisations are involved in burning waste, which is one of the most easiest methods of disposing waste.

The General Hospital, located in the heart of the City, has been burning the waste which gets accumulated on its premises. Hospital waste usually is in large quantity.

And the easiest way to eliminate the large among of waste that gets accumulated on its premises is by burning it. Every week, the hospital authorities make it a point to undertake this activity.
But this is not well received by the people residing around. They are complaining of environment pollution. Commercial establishments and residential areas around the hospital are not happy with this.

The amount of stench that emanates from the piling up of the waste and also the smoke which engulfs the entire region is causing a lot of problems to the people. Says one of the residents of the region, “Often, the stink is so much that we are under the impression that bodies are burnt in the Hospital premises.”

On deaf ears

Some of the concerned citizens and even experts have suggested the Hospital authorities on the implementation of effective and non-controversial waste management system which will be beneficial, both to the Hospital authorities and also to the citizens.

At times, the citizens were even caught in a war of words with the Hospital authorities, but it has failed to bring any results. Neither the Hospital authorities budged, nor were they convinced about the hindrances caused due to the methods followed by them. They continue to burn the waste in the same fashion.

The hospital waste generally includes a large number of items including - soiled clothes, used bandages, blood-stained cotton, date-barred medicines and syrups, disposable syringes, unwanted plastic, labels, etc, which proves hazardous to the environment when dumped at one place and proves even more dangerous when they are burnt. Hospitals and their premises, which are supposed to be spic and span, clean and hygienic, have only become spots for breeding more diseases. Instead of being treated for their diseases, the patients are only facing the threat of being more affected by the unhygienic surroundings, says another resident.