PPE kits dumped at Sector 20 crematorium of Panchkula, trigger safety alarm

Amit Bathla

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, August 27

What the protocol states

• As per clear-cut instructions from the World Health Organisation, all single-use PPE kits must be collected in an appropriate waste bag. The bag must be tightly shut and disinfected, and taken to a designated site far from inhabited land for incineration under controlled conditions.

A shocking incident of PPE kits being discarded carelessly at the Sector 20 crematorium here has come to light. This is in defiance of the protocol set for the disposal of biomedical waste.

The PPE kits found dumped in a bin inside the crematorium were subsequently burnt in the open.

'Not aware of how to dispose of these'

Om Prakash Goyal of the Sanatan Dharam Seva Samiti, which runs the crematorium, said they were not aware of how to safely dispose of PPE kits and other protective gear. "We burn the PPE kits accumulated in the bins every evening," he said.

As per clear-cut instructions from the World Health Organisation (WHO), all single-use PPE kits must be collected in an appropriate waste bag. The bag must be tightly shut and disinfected, and taken to a designated site far from inhabited land for incineration under controlled conditions.

It is not for the first time that such an incident has happened. On June 20 this year, two PPE kits were found thrown in the open near the gynaecology ward of the Civil Hospital in Sector 6. The Civil Surgeon, Dr Jasjeet Kaur, had formed an internal committee to look into the matter.

Om Prakash Goyal of the Sanatan Dharam Seva Samiti, which runs the crematorium, said they were not aware of how to safely dispose of PPE kits and other protective gear.

"We burn the PPE kits accumulated in the bins every evening," he said. KK Jindal, president of the Residents' Welfare Association, Sector 20, said, "Yes, this incident has come to my knowledge. I got to know that the crematorium yesterday received nine bodies for the last rites. The crematorium just has two small bins where PPE kits are thrown after use and workers there subsequently burn these every evening. We have approached the civic body to address the issue."

Sanyam Garg, Joint Commissioner of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation and nodal officer for biomedical waste management, did not respond to repeated calls.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2QvOwVF