Chandigarh: Nearly 10 per cent health care facilities (HCFs) in Punjab are operating without the permission of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) required under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016, raising questions about the enforcement of the rules.
The state has a total of 14,715 identified healthcare facilities, comprising both govt and private establishments, as well as veterinary hospitals and clinics.
However, only 13,301 of these facilities have been granted the required authorisation under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016, leaving 1,414 healthcare facilities operating without approval.
The PPCB has shared the details of health facilities functioning without permission in an interim report, which was sought by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission after it took suo motu cognisance of a TOI report that highlighted health facilities operating without required authorisation.
Healthcare facilities that generate, collect, receive, store, transport, treat, dispose of, or handle bio-medical waste are required to obtain authorisation from PPCB, as per Rule 10 of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016. Rules also outline penalties for any violations related to the management of bio-medical waste.
All 14,715 facilities collectively generate 24.65 tonnes per day (TPD) of bio-medical waste. Individual healthcare facilities conduct the segregation of this waste at source.
Following segregation, waste is collected and transported to designated common bio-medical waste treatment facilities (CBWTFs) for treatment and disposal.
The pollution board monitors the process through 16 regional/field offices across the state. The board submitted that bio-medical waste generated by facilities not having authorisation is being regularly collected, transported, treated, and disposed of by CBWTFs under separate agreements executed between CBWTFs and healthcare facilities.
Six CBWTFs are operating in the state. Of these, five are authorised to collect, transport, treat and dispose of bio-medical waste in accordance with the provisions of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016.
One facility has been authorised to collect and transport waste to four CBWTFs for treatment and disposal due to technical reasons and a case regarding this matter is pending before the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The board informed that notices have been issued to all healthcare facilities that have failed to obtain authorisation or renewal of authorisation as required under rules.
The matter is also being taken up by the board with the department of health, department of animal husbandry, and department of rural development and panchayats to issue directions to healthcare facilities under their jurisdictions to obtain authorisation under Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016.
The pollution board claimed that it is “diligently” implementing bio-medical rules in the state and has adopted measures so that healthcare facilities operating without authorisation should obtain the same.
These measures include setting up helpdesks at regional offices of the board across the state to provide technical assistance to health facilities for submitting authorisation applications on the online portal of the board.
It also conducts training programs for state officers and occupiers of health facilities for better understanding and compliance with the rules.
The commission has directed the PPCB and the director health to file the final and action taken report before the next date of hearing on Sept 6.
