BAGESHWAR: Openly stored surgical waste and poor sanitation around Bageshwar district hospital have raised concerns about hygiene and possible infection risks for patients and their attendants. A foul smell reportedly spreads near the emergency department because waste placed outside the hospital is not being cleared regularly.
Surgical waste has been collected in bags and left in the open beneath the ramp connecting the emergency and outpatient department areas with the wards. The location brings the waste close to routes used by patients and visitors, forcing some people to cover their noses and mouths while passing the emergency entrance.
The district hospital receives patients every day from rural areas. Hundreds of seriously ill patients are also admitted in its wards, making sanitation and safe waste handling particularly important for people seeking treatment.
Waste disposal arrangements under scrutiny
The reported problem extends beyond routine cleaning. The hospital is said to lack a reliable system for the scientific disposal of biomedical and surgical waste.
Earlier, hospital waste was being sent with municipal garbage to the dumping ground at Malta. During an inspection, municipal executive officer Vinod Jeena found that surgical and biomedical waste was being discarded in the open without segregation.
The municipality then stopped the hospital’s waste from being dumped at the site and directed the hospital to separate the waste before handing it over. However, the hospital administration reportedly had no adequate arrangement to carry out that process, leaving waste accumulated within the premises.
Biomedical and surgical waste require separate handling from ordinary municipal garbage. In this case, the absence of a disposal route has contributed to the accumulation of waste near the hospital’s emergency access area, according to the report.
Hospital’s proposed response
Chief Medical Officer Dr Kumar Aditya Tiwari said 2 new pits are being constructed at Kholi for the proper disposal of biomedical and surgical waste from the hospital.
He said the waste would be disposed of safely once the pits are completed. The statement identifies the proposed pits as the hospital’s immediate response to the disposal problem, but the report does not provide a completion date or details about the operating procedure.
For patients and attendants, the immediate concern remains the waste stored in the open and the persistent odour outside the emergency department. The report does not state whether the accumulated waste has since been removed or whether any infection-control inspection has been completed.
Conclusion
Bageshwar district hospital is facing sanitation concerns after surgical waste was left in the open near the emergency area. Officials say 2 disposal pits are being built at Kholi, while the report records no completion date for the proposed arrangement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the main issue at Bageshwar district hospital?
Open surgical and biomedical waste has reportedly accumulated in the hospital premises, creating a foul smell and concerns about hygiene.
Q. Where was the waste found?
The waste was collected in bags and left in the open beneath the ramp leading from the emergency and outpatient areas towards the wards.
Q. Why did the waste accumulate at the hospital?
The municipality stopped accepting the hospital’s waste at the Malta dumping ground after finding that biomedical and surgical waste was being discarded without segregation.
Q. Who identified the waste-handling problem?
Municipal executive officer Vinod Jeena found the waste-disposal issue during an inspection.
Q. What action has the municipality taken?
It stopped the hospital’s waste from being dumped at the Malta site and instructed the hospital to separate the waste before disposal.
Q. What solution has the hospital announced?
Chief Medical Officer Dr Kumar Aditya Tiwari said 2 new pits are being built at Kholi for biomedical and surgical waste disposal.
Q. When will the new pits be ready?
The report does not provide a completion date. It says the waste will be disposed of safely after the pits are completed.
