Bio-medical waste found on roof of Gujarat hospital

Ahmedabad, March 7 : Bio-medical waste was found hidden on the roof of the government women's hospital in Rajkot city in Gujarat Saturday by a team of officials carrying out a surprise check, an official said.

A hepatitis-B outbreak in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district last month claimed 62 lives. The police have started to probe an inter-state racket involving scrap dealers and those buying bio-medical waste from them.

"After a tip off from a ward boy, a vigilance team of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation accompanied by the police reached the hospital and found syringes, blood bags, bottles and needles in four large black polythene bags," a senior official told IANS over telephone from Rajkot.

The team was led by Municipal Commissioner Dinesh Brambhatt, who then inspected the hospital with the police to see if there was more bio-medical waste hidden.

The bio-medical waste had been seized for examination, the official said, adding the entire matter would be thoroughly investigated before any conclusions are drawn to fix responsibility for the non-disposal of the waste.