Bokaro DC tightens screw on nursing homes dumping waste into open

Shashank Shekhar

Bokaro ( Jharkhand) : After getting complaints  that despite several warnings given to private nursing homes and pathological clinics of Bokaro  including at Chas, Bermo, Bokaro thermal and Gomia hundred of tones of Bio-medical waste generated by them are still being thrown into open ground causing health hazards in one of the cleanest cities of Jharkhand , Bokaro Deputy Commissioner (DC) R M Ray on November 27, 2017, warned  all nursing homes to get themselves registered online telling administration as to what they were doing to solve this problem otherwise they would be penalized which includes even closure of the health centers.

This decision was taken at a high level meeting of  district administration convened by Bokaro DC    with  Bokaro  Civil Surgeon S Murmu, Dr A Prasad and other senior doctors of the district along with district officials.

The nursing homes and health  centers have been asked to  give information about the number of  beds with names of doctors and operations taking place there while pathological clinics have been asked to give details of  patients coming to them for tests adding that since the district administration has decided to establish a high capacity incinerator at sector XI of Bokaro steel city  for treatment  of entire medical waste of this zone so if the information is not catered within 15 days action will follow and the administration will not allow them to dispose off their garbage in incinerators being set up by administration.
At present tons of medical waste including plasters, placentas, discarded medicines, used syringes, toxic drugs, chemicals, bandages, cotton pads and even fresh blood samples can be seen scattered at sector V behind MD bunglow, sector XI ground, sector XII, sector V ground and even at sector IX which have been selected at dumping ground for this waste and scavengers can be seen picking needles, pipes and used bottles everyday but there is no one to check it though there are temporary ways of disposal of the medical waste in the absence of incinerators.

“If such treatment  medical waste  is being done by nursing homes, videography of the entire process with photos must be sent to civil surgeon office for spot verification,” said the deputy commissioner..

The Bokaro DC said that private nursing homes have been asked to either set up incinerators on cooperative basis or see to it that the medical waste were dumped in temporary constructed pits after treatment of waste  and once the pits get filled up another one should be dug till district administration installs its own incinerators. “All nursing homes have been directed  to get themselves registered with all details failing which action will follow,” the DC added.