HC Exempts Smaller Dental Clinics From Special Regulation
Mahir Haneef TNN
Kochi: Considering a petition filed by Indian Dental Association challenging the need for permission from pollution control board (PCB) for obtaining state governments registration to run dental clinics,the Kerala high court on Monday made an exception for dental clinics treating less than 1,000 patients per month.
After referring to relevant rules and government orders,Justice Antony Dominic ordered that clinics with more than 1,000 patients per month have to obtain PCB clearance.
In an order issued on April 3 this year,the state government had made it mandatory for every occupier or operator of establishments generating bio-medical waste to obtain PCBs authorization.According to the order,around 11,000 metric tonnes of bio-medical waste is generated in the state per year.PCBs authorization was to prevent bio-medical waste mingling with municipal solid waste and contaminate water bodies.
The state defined occupier as any institution generating biomedical waste,including hospitals,nursing homes,clinical dispensaries,veterinary institutions,animal houses,pathological laboratory and blood banks.Through the order,state government has made it the duty of PCB to set up common biomedical waste treatment and disposal facilities,with the target being at least one such facility for two districts.
However,experts point out that the courts ruling and state governments order wont raise the standards of bio-medical waste management as already a system is in place.Through Indian Medical Association Goes Eco Friendly (IMAGE),a programme run by Indian Medical Association,bio-medical waste was already being collected and disposed properly,said Ajit Kumar of Poly Dental Clinic.IMAGE is a world-class system of disposing bio-medical waste after segregating it at source.Even the state government doesnt have a better system in place.Such a system is not being used in rural areas,but the number of such clinics would be less than 5 per cent, he said.
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