Tamil Nadu - Chennai

State plans medical waste treatment plants

CHENNAI: In order to be self-sufficient in the area of medical wastes disposal, the State government is contemplating setting up its own common bio medical waste treatment plants in the near future.

Talking to The Hindu, Health Secretary V.K. Subburaj said currently, the government hospitals were using the services of 11 private common treatment plants throughout the State, paying for every kilogram of waste processed. Training of hospital staff on bio medical waste management, treatment and disposal all over the State has begun. By August-end, the entire waste management programme would be in place, but hospitals would continue to use the facilities in the private sector, as no public sector units were available.

“However, if we need to have a perfect system, we have to have our own facilities for treatment and disposal,” Mr.Subburaj said. In order to achieve perfection, the government will set up four to five common treatment facilities in the major cities in the State — Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchi. The plants will all be set up on the advice of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Boards, following the norms set out by them and in accordance with the Bio Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998. They will have all the facilities currently being offered in the private treatment plants including deep-burial pits, autoclaves, and microwaves.

While funds have not yet been earmarked for the construction of the CTFs, Mr.Subburaj added that money was not an issue. Funds are available under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Development Project. A plant is estimated to cost Rs. 2 crore to set up, he added.

Currently, the government has to call for tenders every year to choose the facilities for waste disposal. There are inherent difficulties with this — the entire process of sifting through a number of applicants and resolving the payment issues. “All those hassles can be overcome if we have our own plants. It will be a natural process — moving the waste from our hospitals to our treatment plants, without any payment. The plants will be for the exclusive use of the government hospitals and other health units,” Mr.Subburaj said.

However, he added that private health care facilities that wish to use the government-run CTFs, will be allowed to do so at a price.

Responding to the health department’s decision to set up its own treatment facilities, Rajesh Rangajan of the Consumer and Civic Action Group, says the need of the hour is to take stock of the current situation. “With the government hospitals sending their wastes to the private CTFs, we would have reached full-operating capacity of the existing facilities. We need to see if we need more treatment plants. Also, the World Bank aided Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project has a policy against encouraging the setting up of more incinerators,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Board has asked the Consumer and Civic Action Group to submit a proposal to assess the current status of bio medical waste management in the State.

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