Minister for effective waste disposal projects

Kochi, Feb 27 (UNI) Stressing the importance of proper hospital waste management, Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathy today urged private hospitals to undertake comprehensive waste disposal projects to manage effluents generated in the institutions.

Addressing a meting on 'Waste Dipsosal and Health Care Facilities' organised by Kerala State Pollution Control Board and State Health Ministry here, Ms Sreemathy said proper waste disposal system should be put in place as accumulation and mismanagement of waste posed serious threats to the society.

''If the small fraction of the total hospital waste which is infectious and hazardous is separately collected and managed, the general waste will not be rendered infectious or hazardous,'' she noted.

Admitting the waste management process should be spruced up in government hospitals, the Minister said the system should be streamlined as the state had a very large number of healthcare institutions with a total bed strength of about one lakh and other establishments like diagnostic labs generating bio-medical waste She said effective waste management would minimise financial cost to healthcare institutions and the risk to staff, public and the environment.

The Minister also noted that the private healthcare institutions should share data with the government on various kinds of diseases treated in their hospitals.

She said hospitals should give the relevant information to the District Medical Officer every month so that communicable diseases, if any, could be tracked down. This information would help the government to take proper steps to face any crisis.

Ms Sreemathy also urged the private hospitals to take care of emergency cases irrespective of the income strata of the patient.

She said the emergency and trauma care facilities of private hopsitals should provide health care to all on humanitarian grounds.

The government was planning to draft policies for geriatric care and provide efficient diagnostic facilities in government hospitals.

Speaking on the occasion, State Health Secretary Vishwas Mehta said the government was mooting to raise the retirement age of dcotors from 55 to 60 years.

UNI