Bio-medical waste disposal: More hospitals apply for TNPCB certificates

“Currently, the process of healthcare facilities applying for consent and authorisation certificates has quickened,” said TNPCB Chief Scientific Officer P Sai Prasad. “This will be our primary focus until all the pending and new applications have been approved,” he added.

This development follows a National Green Tribunal (NGT) hearing last month on the number of healthcare services operating without proper consent or authorization. During the hearing, the TNPCB had submitted that 3,475 of the 4,307 healthcare facilities in the State were issued the authorisation certificate under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016. However, the Board’s website says that it has so far authorised 6,261 private and government hospitals.

“Additionally, nearly 146 government hospitals are operating without consent from the TNPCB as per the Water Act (1974) and Air Act (1981). Thus, the TNPCB has no right to pressurise 934 private hospitals operating without consents or authorisation,” remarked Jawaharlal Shanmugam, the petitioner in the case. A district-wise figure of the number of private and government hospitals in TN hasn’t been recorded either, not to mention the number of them who are complying with the rules.

According to him, “Without an authentic number, we will not know how much biomedical waste is really being generated in the State, and if some of it is being pilfered and sold to third-party vendors, without it going to the common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility (CBMWTF). It is the responsibility of the TNPCB and government to monitor this.”

Further, the NGT has asked the Board to submit a detailed report, containing details such as the number of hospitals/healthcare centres complying with the rules in the State and what action is/will be taken against the non-complying units.