The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has directed all hospitals in the State to strictly maintain record on disposal of biomedical waste and display the details on their websites, the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) Southern Bench was informed on Wednesday.
In an affidavit filed in connection with a case, the board said its chairman held a meeting on September 22 with representatives of major hospitals and directed all hospitals to strictly comply with the Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBMWTFs) have to display the collection of biomedical waste from each hospital on their website on daily basis, it said. “The CBMWTFs shall provide bar coding system from November 1, 2016 covering all the hospitals. The CBMWTFs shall provide posters depicting salient features on collection, segregation, and disposal of biomedical waste as per new rules.”
All hospitals shall maintain disinfectant records and shall be inspected by the TNPCB officials in a periodic manner and hospitals shall make necessary changes in their plumbing lines or provide new plumbing lines to facilitate the provision of disinfection chamber of common effluent treatment plant were among the directions.The Indian Medical Association and the Director of Medical Education in consultation with the TNPCB officials would provide guidelines for the installation of effluent treatment plant and sewage treatment plant to meet their sewage and trade effluent disposal standards, it said.
Applicant Jawaharlal Shanmugam, in his application, alleged biomedical waste was not being properly disposed by hospitals and the waste was being sold by a private hospital to a vendor. CB-CID, which initiated a probe on the directions of the NGT, had submitted a report wherein it confirmed that the hospital had sold biomedical waste. The Bench posted the hearing to December 12.
