AIIMS, RML yet to remedy shortcomings in waste disposal: NGT

The National Green Tribunal today said several government hospitals, including the AIIMS and RML, have not "remedied all shortcomings" in disposal of biomedical waste and set up a committee to ensure they fully comply with disposal rules.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order after the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), which inspected the hospitals, said while government hospitals have complied with most of the rules of BMW disposal, they are yet to be fully compliant.
"These hospitals have not remedied all shortcomings and have not fully complied with disposal of biomedical waste. Unfortunately, most are government hospitals and deal with a larger section of society.

"We are of the considered view that it may not be fruitful to direct prosecution of Medical Superintendents or Directors of the hospitals, but we make it clear that compliance of shortcomings and deficiencies be done at the earliest.
"To ensure complete compliance of the rules by these hospitals, dealing with large number of people, we set up a committee to inspect all the nine hospitals before next date of hearing and place a comprehensive report before us," the bench said.
The bench made it clear that it is giving a last opportunity to the hospitals to fully comply with the waste disposal rules.

Apart from the AIIMS and Ram Manohar Lohia (RML), the other hospitals which have not fully complied with the BMW disposal rules are Maharaja Agrasen, Northern Railways Central, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Lala Ram Swaroop Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, MVID and two ESI hospitals in Rohini and Basai Darapur.