Collectors of biomedical waste put lives on the line
BHUBANESWAR: At a time when the novel coronavirus has forced million to stay indoors, the biomedical waste collectors have been risking lives for their job and braving grave odds amid the pandemic.
About 40 bio-medical waste collectors — who are engaged in the lone incineration facility in Khurda — have been gathering 700kg of biomedical waste from eight Covid-19 hospitals and testing laboratories (operating in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Jajpur) and transporting them to the facility for combustion on a daily basis.
“We are taking proper care of all our workers. They have been given protective gear and food and multivitamin tablets that boost immunity. We have also assured them a pay hike for motivation,” Mahesh Agrawal, owner of Sani Clean Private Limited, said, adding that his company was strictly following the guidelines set out by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on handling hazardous waste.
“Around 17 of our workers did not report to work when we first started collecting the waste from Covid-19 hospitals. While some said they were stranded owing to the country-wide lockdown, the others were just too scared,” Agrawal added.
According to CPCB guidelines, all hospitals will have to pack the biomedical waste, including PPEs, used by Covid-19 patients and health workers treating them in air-tight biodegradable bags and seal them. The waste collectors will then collect the bags (wearing protective gear) from the hospitals in biohazard vans and directly put them in the incinerator.
The vans are being sanitized before the loading and unloading of the waste.
“We directly put the bags in the incinerator. It is my duty to serve the mankind in this unprecedented times, just like the doctors and the nurses,” Pramod Sani (40), one of the biomedical waste collectors, said.
“It is important to do the work with extreme caution. A minor mistake on my part can put hundreds at risk. Though my family members are worried, I did not miss work for a single day,” Sani added.
The company has been collecting waste from Tata Medica (Covid hospital) in Jajpur, Ashwini Covid Hospital in Cuttack, KIMS Covid Hospital, RMRC Covid collection unit, Apollo Hospital, Capital Hospital (Covid unit), SUM Covid Hospital and AIIMS (Covid hospital) in Bhubaneswar.
“As non-covid patients are not visiting hospitals owing to the lockdown or fear over virus transmission, the collection of bio-medical waste from other healthcare facilities has drastically reduced. Currently, the focus is on Covid-19 hospitals,” Agrawal said.
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