Government to act strictly on medical waste management
The government will take stern action, including the cancellation of operating licence, against individuals and health institutions failing to abide by the standards for medical waste management as set under the SWM. Those properly managing hazardous medical and chemical wastes will be rewarded.
The SWM 2011 clearly states that the responsibility of processing and managing hazardous, medical and chemical waste under the prescribed standards rests with the person or institution that has generated the waste. Any individual or institution found improperly managing waste can be charged between Rs 50,000 and Rs 100,000 or imprisoned for 15 days to three months by the local authority as per the Act.
According to Sumitra Amatya, executive director at the Solid Waste Management Technical Support Centre (SWMTSC), concerned government authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Office, is serious over hospital waste issues and their impact on the entire health community and the general public.
“Though a few health institutions in the Kathmandu valley and other cities are working to manage hazardous waste, their efforts are not enough,” said Amatya. Meanwhile, an interaction was organised by the SWMTSC on Monday to discuss on the present status of hospital waste and the proper ways of management. Out of total medical waste generated from any hospital or health institution, around 20 per cent is categorised as ‘risky waste’, which is mixed with other non-hazardous waste due to poor segregation methods.
A few weeks ago, a high-level team led by Krishna Hari Baskota, secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, and comprising of officials from concerned ministries and departments, initiated a surprise monitoring of various hospitals, including Bir Hospital, Kathmandu Medical College and Nepal Medical College. The team discovered that these institutions were conducting regular clean-ups and safely disposing of hazardous waste.
Posted on: 2013-01-01 08:45
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