Civil hospital’s waste is also traded for profit

Even as experts try to trace the spread of hepatitis-B in Modasa, Ahmedabad may be sitting on a pile of discarded biomedical waste, waiting for disaster to happen.

An investigation by DNA has found that hazardous biomedical waste from Asia’s largest civil hospital, the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, is collected by rag-pickers and others to be sold to scrap dealers. The hospital, it seems, has not put in place a waste disposal system to handle the 1,000 kg or more of biomedical waste it generates everyday.

The complete lack of security in the biomedical waste storage area (MWSA) on the hospital’s campus has only helped people who want to make a quick buck by reselling the waste. Used syringes, needles, blood samples, test tubes and other biomedical waste are all brought to the storage area.

DNA found that the norms for disposal of biomedical waste were being blatantly flouted at the hospital. Used syringes, needles catheters, tubes and IV sets were collected in black bags in the storage area.

The norms clearly state that such bio-waste is to be collected in blue bags, and tightly sealed until they are autoclaved or shredded to prevent reuse. The black bags are in fact to be used for harmless waste.