PPCB raid finds 20 hospitals violating rules on disposal of biomedical waste

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has found 20 hospitals violating provisions of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, during a surprise check. The list includes five government and 15 private hospitals.

“Thirty eight PPCB teams conducted surprise inspections on around 127 hospitals in the state. We found that 107 hospitals were complying with the rules. Action against the remaining 20 will be taken under provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986,” said PPC chairman Kahan Singh Pannu.

The civil hospitals at Pathankot, Kapurthala, Khamano and Sunam and ESIC Model Hospital, Ludhiana, are the government hospitals found to be running foul of rules.

The private hospitals on the list are Prannath Pranami Polio and General Hospital in Muktsar; Global Health Care, The Mall, Bathinda; M/S Boor Singh Memorial Hospital, near Clock Tower, Faridkot; Sant Baba Harnam Singh Memorial Charitable Society Hospital, Dasuya, Hoshiarpur; Care Max Super Speciality Hospitality, Jalandhar; Kidney Hospital and Lifeline Medical Institution, Jalandhar; Bhangu Hospital, Doraha; Shree Ram Charitable Hospital, Ludhiana; Dashmesh Charitable Hospital, Doraha; Suraksha Hospital, Giaspura, Ludhiana; Bassi Nursing Home, Ludhiana; Durga Dal Sewa Samiti Charitable Hospital, Patiala; Chandigarh Heart Centre, Sangrur; Dhawan Surgical Centre, Ropar, and Saraswati Professional and Higher Education Society, Kharar, Mohali.

The state has 7,000 health care facilities that generate 15 tonne of biomedical waste a day that is disposed at four biomedical waste treatment plants in Mohali, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Pathankot.