MARGAO
Thursday saw the Margao Municipality van and officials heading to the Goa Medical College and Hospital to hand over the COVID bio-medical waste. After entering the request letter addressed to the GMC Dean, the Municipal van headed to the area where the bio-medical waste disposal facility is installed, only to be told that the waste disposal facility is down and out.
Left with no option after being told that it may require a week’s time to repair the bio-medical waste disposal facility, the MMC bio-medical waste loaded vehicle returned back to Margao and is now parked at the MMC’s Old market garage.
Sources in the MMC informed that Municipal Sanitary Inspector Viraj Arabekar headed to the GMC, Bambolim after Chief Officer Ajit Panchawadkar received a communique from the district authorities to transport the COVID bio-medical waste for disposal.
The sanitary inspector is believed to have made a written letter to the GMC Dean, with a request for disposal of the COVID bio-medical waste in the hospital facility.
It is learnt that when the vehicle-laden with the bio-medical waste headed to the incineration unit, Viraj and his team were informed that the bio-medical waste disposal facility is down and out.
Viraj later returned back to Margao with the vehicle after entering a letter addressed to the Medical Superintendent pointing out that the COVID bio-medical waste was not accepted at the GMC with the facility down with snags.
The bio-medical waste-laden vehicle is now parked at the MMC old market garage with sources in the civic body saying the waste will remain in the vehicle till such time the GMC bio-medical waste disposal facility is repaired.
MMC officials only hope that the GMC bio-medical waste disposal facility is repaired at the earliest, anticipating a rise in the generation of bio-medical waste in the city with COVID cases on the rise and COVID positive patients option for home isolation.
“Right now, our workers are entrusted with the task of collecting bio-medical waste from around 60-70 households. The waste does not only consist of face masks and other daily items, but even bed linen and clothes as well. With COVID positive patients now opting for home isolation, the generation of bio-medical waste is bound to increase in the coming days,” remarked an MMC official.
