'People engaged is collection of common biomedical waste remain outside government's insurance bracket'
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: A section of frontline COVID-19 warriors continues to remain unsung and outside the government's insurance cover meant for such warriors like doctors, nurses and others. In the war against corona, this section of people does not face COVID-19 patients but the disease itself.
The persons being talked about are people who directly collect bio-medical waste. There are around 200 common biomedical waste treatment facilities in India, including only one in Assam – Fresh Air Waste Management Services Private Limited. This organization disposes of common biomedical waste of five districts – Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Nalbari, Morigaon and Nagaon. The prescribed authorities of biomedical treatment facilities are the pollution control boards of their respective States, and that of Assam is the PCBA (Pollution Control Board, Assam).
Talking to The Sentinel, Partha Pratim Pathak, the only executive member of Eastern Zone of the All India Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facilities Association, said, "We don't confront patients. We directly confront the disease. The government's insurance schemes have covered doctors, nurses and others during the fight against COVID-19. People disposing of common biomedical waste have been left out. Those who directly dispose of biomedical waste are ordinary people without technical skill. Despite their dedicated service, they continue to remain unsung. How sad…!"
Giving a statistics of common biomedical waste collected by the people of Fresh Air Waste Management Services, the organization said, "From March 20-May 19, 2020 during the outbreak of COVID-19, we collected 6123.5 kg biomedical waste from the GMCH (Gauhati Medical College and Hospital), 4912.4 kg from the MMCH (Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital), 322 kg from Sonapur Hospital and 272.7 kg from four hotels in Guwahati that are used as quarantine centres."