Private companies’ monopoly hits waste disposal at Karnataka govt hospitals

With only a handful of companies running common biomedical waste (BMW) treatment facilities in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts, many government hospitals are finding it hard to get their waste disposed of at reasonable rates.

Hospital heads alleged that the “monopoly” held by the few companies is affecting scientific disposal and many times it becomes inevitable for them to agree to the high prices quoted in the tenders. “If we do not agree, they threaten to stop picking up BMW from our facilities,” said a doctor from a teaching hospital in the city.

Currently, two hospitals affiliated to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) are facing a problem in regular disposal as the companies, whose contract term ended in December, are now not agreeing to the old rate of ₹4.5 per bed. Sources said new tenders have been floated. Till the tender process is completed, which is likely to happen in two weeks, a short-term contract has now been allotted based on quotation of ₹7 per bed.

Sources said the companies initially quoted ₹25 per bed. The hospital authorities managed to bring it down to ₹7 per bed. “Besides, if the total BMW exceeds 3,000 kg a month, the company quoted ₹60 per additional kg. We bargained and brought it down to 6,000 kg a month and ₹24 per additional kg. How can government hospitals pay such high rates? Currently, Victoria Hospital is paying ₹4 per bed, PMSSY is paying ₹6.5 per bed, and K.C. General is paying ₹7 per bed,” sources said.

Centralised govt. facility
Balaji Pai S., Special Officer of Trauma and Emergency Care Centre (TECC) on Victoria Hospital campus, suggested that the government should set up a centralised common BMW treatment facility for its hospitals. “This will be advantageous as it does not require any heavy investment to set up the plant. If the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) runs the facility, waste disposal from government hospitals can be more scientifically organised. Moreover, there will be no need to float tenders and money will go from one department to another,” he said.

Eshwar Khandre, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, said he was aware of the problem being faced by government hospitals. “We discussed this in the KSPCB review meeting held recently. I have directed the officials to explore possibilities of resolving the issue and submit a detailed report within a fortnight,” he told The Hindu.

BMW generation per day
According to data from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), as many as 12,948 Health Care Establishments (HCEs) in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts are covered by Biomedical Waste Rules.

As many as 34,645 kg of BMW is generated per day by bedded hospitals in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts and 6,190 kg per day is generated by non-bedded hospitals, said an official from KSPCB.

Overall, the State has 48,431 HCEs of which 8,628 are bedded hospitals, half of which are in Bengaluru. A total of 63,972 kg of BMW is generated per day by bedded hospitals and 13,976 kg per day by non-bedded hospitals in the State. A total of 25 common BMW treatment facilities are in operation in the State of which three are in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, according to data. The Hindu