February 20, 2002

    The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C.P. Thakur, has called for an integrated strategy for the protection of the environment. Inaugurating the seminar on "Profiting from Environmental Initiative in Health Sector' here today, Dr. Thakur said that improper disposal of waste in the large number of hospitals, both government and private, posed occupational health risk as well as environmental degradation. He said that the infection rate in hospitals were very high due to improper disposal of waste. The people of the country were known for their respect to nature and environment, he added. He lamented that due to carelessness, yamuna, which was known for the medicinal value of its water, had become a polluted river. Emphasizing the need for regulations for waste disposal, he said that the Pollution Control Board should ensure speedy clearance of applications. He also called for a new strategy for disposal of human excreta especially in rural areas and urban slums.

    In his Keynote address, Dr. B.Sengupta, Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board, said that bio-medical waste was the major pollutant after vehicles, gensets, and industries. He said only 15 per cent of the bio-medical waste was infectious but these were being mixed with the remaining harmless waste as well as the municipal waste making it a major problem. The Pollution Control Board would, therefore, enforce segregation of the bio-medical waste and insist on different colour codes for waste containers, he added.

    Speaking on the occasion the Health Secretary, Shri Javid A.Chowdhury, said that the Ministry had already provided for surveillance of water quality through the Panchayti Raj Institutions. This programme, he said, would continue through the 10^th Plan as well. The Director General of Health Services, Dr. S.P.Agarwal, said that better management of environment would ensure better health care.

    The one-day seminar is being organised by Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation (HSCC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. An ISO 9001 accredited company, it addresses to all levels of health system pyramid which encompasses conceptual studies, healthcare facilities, design, project management, procurement and supply, logistics and installations, commissioning and skill enhancement through training and re-training. A significant part of the company's activities is devoted to design and implementation of new hospitals and medical colleges and rehabilitation of existing institutions, laboratories etc.