Poor disposal of med waste plagues Kanchi GH

CHENNAI: Burning of medical waste and plastics in Kancheepuram Government Hospital irritate the public and patients.

Kancheepuram GH is one of the busiest hospitals in the district and more than 1,000 people visit the hospital every day. However, for the past few months, the cleanliness in the hospital has become worse and people hesitate to visit the facility. The waste from the hospital are not properly segregated and the staff are dumping the waste in a 10-foot pit near the oxygen pipeline and often setting them on fire.

The smoke irritates people who visit the hospital and many suffer from breathing troubles. Pethraj, an activist said that the Oxygen plant is very close to the place where the staff are burning the waste and it is highly risky as it could be a cause for major fire accident. They said that people are highly affected when they inhale the smoke and it can even lead to cancer.

The used facemasks and other plastic are also not cleaned by the sanitary workers and are burnt along with other carcinogenic waste. The activists said that the sanitary workers are maintaining a fake record book that they are disposing the medical and hospital waste every day from the hospital. But, in reality the waste is dumped in a nearby marshland or burnt near the oxygen plant. A few staff, including the doctors in the Kancheepuram GH admitted to DT Next that the administration is very poor in the hospital and it makes them to work in unhygienic conditions.

When contacted, the superintendent of Kancheepuram GH, denied the issue and said it might be burnt accidentally and we are not burning the waste regularly and only collecting them and sending in the garbage collection vehicles.

However, the complaints will be addressed and we will look into the issues, the top medical officer assured.