SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 24: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dhanbad chapter has proposed the Municipal Corporation (DMC) to set up a biomedical waste management plant in the district.
In this regard, the IMA Dhanbad team along with IMA state president Dr AK Singh met municipal corporation commissioner Raviraj Sharma and presented a road map for running the biomedical waste disposal plant.
Disposal of biomedical waste is a perennial problem
There are around 400 small clinics and big private hospitals/ nursing homes but there is no high-capacity biomedical waste disposal mechanism at the government as well as private level to dispose of their waste.
Medical colleges and hospitals of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) claim to have a personal mechanism to dispose of Tata Steel Jamadoba Hospital sent at Bio Genetic Laboratory, Bhuli.
The Bhuli-based incinerator has a 25-ton disposal capacity while the monthly discharge of biomedical waste in Dhanbad is 200 tons. So, where do private hospitals dispose of the remaining 175 tons of medical waste is a million-dollar question.
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In lack of a disposal system biomedical waste can be seen scattered on Hirak bypass road every day. Pollution Control Board fined private hospitals including Asian Jalal Hospital for dumping at public places.
This time, the IMA has swung into action on the suggestion of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Madhvi Mishra and Town Commissioner Raviraj Sharma.
DC offers IMA to provide land
The DC has reportedly offered the IMA to provide land and funds from the District Mineral Trust Fund (DMFT). The Municipal Corporation commissioner said there is a fund of Rs 7 crore for this project and he would extend all possible help setting up the plant.
The IMA also tried for an incinerator two decades ago when Dr AK Singh was district chapter president. But the project did not materialise.
IMA secretary Dr Rakesh Inder Singh said if the mechanism of disposal is set up, 1100 doctors of the district will devote time in rotation to run the incinerator properly to make Dhanbad medical waste free.
Dr A K Singh, Dr B N Gupta president I M A Dhanbad, Dr Rakesh Inder Singh secretary, Dr Pranay Kumar treasurer, Dr Major Chandan were members of the delegation.
