MARGAO
In a bid to stop sanitary pads and diapers from the city hospitals and nursing homes from finding its way into the waste bins, the Margao Municipal Council has mulled complete segregation of the bio-medical waste generated in the commercial capital.
The MMC’s objective is two-fold, one that no sanitary pads and diapers find its way into the dry waste bins and that the hospital and nursing homes disposes of such waste with the government-appointed firm manning a bio-medical waste handling unit at Kundaim Industrial Estate.
Reason; The Margao Municipal Council has dispatched eight truck load of sanitary pads and diapers from the city to the Kundaim-based bio-medical waste treatment plant.
In this respect, Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar called for a meeting with the representatives of the hospitals and nursing homes in his chamber on Monday to draw up a plan of action to ensure that no sanitary pad and diaper lands in the dry waste bin.
Only around 10-12 representatives of the hospitals and nursing homes turned up for the meeting in view of the incessant rains and short notice served on the owners Another meeting has been called on Friday to discuss the issue threadbare with the representatives of hospitals and nursing owners to put in place the action plan to ensure that all sanitary pads and diapers are handed over to the Kundaim-based agency for disposal.
“The Kundaim-based firm is authorized to accept the sanitary pads and diapers from the hospitals and nursing homes. Our endeavour is to impress upon the representatives of the hospitals and nursing homes that they should segregate the sanitary pads and diapers and hand over the same to the agency along with other bio-medical waste”, the MMC Chairperson told The Goan.
He said the entire idea is to put a system in place wherein the dry waste comprising of sanitary pads and diapers from the hospitals and nursing does not end up in the dry waste bins of these institutions.
“The are presently handing over bio-medical waste including syringes to the Kundaim-based firm. We want to impress upon them to also hand over the sanitary pads and diapers to the same unit for disposal”, he added.
Saying the representatives who turned up for the meeting sounded positive in addressing the issue, Damu expressed happiness that they have all decided to cooperate with the Civic body.
Saying that the commercial capital plays host to around 70-80 hospitals and nursing homes, the Margao Civic Chief said that cooperation from these units will go a long way in ensuring that sanitary pads and diapers does not land in the dry waste bins. “The MMC has stressed on total segregation of the waste generated in the city in view of the prevailing situation at Sonsodo. We have solicited the cooperation of the hospitals and nursing homes to achieve the objective”, he added.
