Angul: With improper medical waste management, the Angul district hospital authorities seem to be least bothered about the bad effects on patients and the surroundings, alleged attendants and local residents.
Wall paintings and flexes adorn the hospital, while no dustin are missing. The wall paintings and flexes put up on the outer walls of the 400-bedded hospital urges people to use dustbin for different types of medical wastes.
As per the guidelines, there must be red and black colour dustbins in every ward. Needles, blades and similar materials are to be dumped in the red dustbins and the black dustbins are for other wastes.
However, with no dustbins, the waste materials are just dumped everywhere, causing severe pollution.
The attendants of the patients said, “We know the importance of dustbins. Medical wastes are not to be thrown here and there. They should be dumped in specific dustbins. But here we are not finding any dustbins. As such, used needles, blades, bandage cotton and other wastages are seen lying here and there. At some wards, there is only one kind of dustbin and people are seen dumping all kinds of wastes in it.
As wastes are piling up on hospital premises, the fear of contamination has gripped patients and their relatives. “The hospital surrounding should be salubrious, neat and clean. Here the situation is different. It seems we may get infected with another disease instead of getting cured of the one for which we have been admitted,” some patients pointed out.
Some attendants alleged that the hospital authorities have finished their duty by merely putting up some flexes and banners on waste management.
ADMO Laxmidhar Bisoi said, “Since we were served a notice by the regional office of Odisha State Pollution Control Board, the waste management is being carried out properly.”
PNN