Untreated medical waste a major concern in Delhi/NCR

Delhi/NCR may boast of a rapid rise in healthcare facilities (mostly private) in the last few decades but they are now also generating a humungous amount of medical waste which largely go untreated. A recent study undertaken by the leading industry body Assocham has strongly advocated finding a viable solution for the scientific disposal of the rapidly piling medical waste or else it could lead to serious environment hazard.

“ With an increase in the number of healthcare facilities; Delhi, Gugaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad collectively generate over 5900 tonnes medical waste annually most of which remain untreated and dumped with municipal waste and thus cause serious health hazards,” the report underlines.

In specific terms, while Delhi alone is generating 2200 tonnes of medical waste, the share of Noida/Greater Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad stand at 1200,1100 and 600 tonnes respectively. The report has strongly advocated specific segregation and collection facilities for medical and clinical waste as 35 percent of them fall in the hazardous category. And mixing of the hazardous trash with general waste has the high probability of resulting in contamination, infection and spread of various diseases. For instances, waste pickers in particular are more vulnerable to be at the receiving end of the possible disaster which untreated medical waste can cause since they come in direct contact with syringes and bandages with blood on them.

With mushrooming medical centers across the country, the industry association has demanded setting up of centralized bio-medical treatment plants at strategic points so that the piling medical waste does not turn into a real medical and environment menace.

The medical waste in the Delhi NCR region