File report on biomed waste management in 3 weeks: The State Human Rights Commission

To cut costs, private clinics and other medical agencies have taken to dumping biomedical wastes in Corporation dump yards – a hazard for the personnel engaged in source segregation and scavenging at these yards. Taking suo moto cognisance of the issue from media reports, Justice D Jayachandran of State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has given three weeks for the authorities to file a detailed report. 

The SHRC has asked the Corporation and the other departments if there is a separate facility for the collection and destruction of medical waste from private medical institutions like the one in Tiruvallur district, established for the destruction of medical waste from government hospitals? The judge also questioned if there was permission given to dump medical waste at the dump yard and demanded details of the infrastructure for segregation and destruction of medical wastes at the yard. 

The Corporation has also been asked to inform the SHRC on the actions taken to identify the culprits and if the workers involved in segregation at the yard have been given safety instructions and gadgets. SHRC warned that in event of default, the Commission may proceed to take such action as it deems proper.