While the Association of Private Hospitals on Thursday said the direction of the Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC), asking them to enter into an agreement with a “particular” private agency to dispose bio-medical waste, was “not acceptable,” the Health Department on Friday clarified that the aim was to ensure proper disposal of waste by hospitals according to the specified Acts, and that “they have the liberty to enter into agreement with any other agency but should adhere to the regulations.”
“Can make own arrangements”
Director of the Health Department, Dilipkumar Baliga, said that there was no compulsion on part of the private hospitals to ink a pact with the Common Bio-medical Facility in Thuttipet, run by a private party, if they make their own arrangements for proper disposal of hazardous bio-medical waste.
Detailed audit
He said the price of Rs. 6.50 per bed, termed as “exorbitant” by the association on Thursday, was arrived at after a detailed audit of the costs involved by a committee appointed by the PPCC. Pointing out that private healthcare centres in most other cities entered into an agreement with private players to dispose of hospital waste, he said the facility in Thuttipet was allowed to be established to help hospitals in the region who were finding it hard to manage the waste generated in their facilities. Mr. Baliga said action would be initiated against all hospitals, government or private, which do not follow the set regulations in management of hospital waste.
