Docs hit streets against PMC's biomed waste disposal facility

Hundreds of representatives of several city-based doctors’ associations took to the streets on Thursday in protest against the unsatisfactory services and exorbitant charges of the biomedical waste collection facility run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

The morcha started at Shaniwarwada and culminated at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) headquarters where members of nearly 20 doctors organisations met additional municipal commissioner Rajendra Jagtap and presented their demands.
General Practitioners’ Association president Dr Sunil Paigude said that the protest was against the civic body’s decision to hike charges of lifting biomedical waste without any discussion with doctors and existing facility’s poor service.

Of the estimated 8,000 clinics and dispensaries within the PMC limits, only 2,200-odd have registered for biomedical waste facility. Since the past two years, many doctors have not paid the annual fee to the civic body for lifting biomedical waste generated at their clinics.

In May 2013, PMC initiated a special drive to register clinics under the facility and has recently sent a notice stating that clinics refusing to register themselves or pay annual fee by June 30, 2013 will be levied a fine of Rs10,000.

“There is a committee for revision of rate for lifting biomedical waste. We have decided to allow nominated member from registered doctor’s body to become member of this committee with whom we would have discussions over rate revision. However, as fas as unregistered clinics go, the deadline still stands and after 10 working days, we shall take action against unregistered clinics. The discussion over rates and services can only be done by registered clinics,” said Jagtap.

He said that it is important to get all clinics registered since unregistered practitioners dump biomedical waste with household garbage and this practice is harmful and could spread deadly infections.

Dr Vivek Billampelly, vice-president, Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra state) said that one of the issues was lifting biomedical waste from doctors’ clinics.

“They have made one drop-off point and have odd timings. We can’t leave our patients waiting to go drop waste but the PMC refused to budge,” he said.

IMA president Dr Maya Tulpule said that Jagtap assured that doorstep service would be provided if many doctors on the same route register.

“Currently sending a vehicle for one doctor in a particular area is not feasible so they want to increase registrations. Otherwise it would be costlier to provide doorstep service,” she said.