Diabetic patients worried as sanitary workers refuse to accept insulin, other medical waste along with garbage

Sensation prevailed amongst diabetic patients, especially the senior citizens, after sanitary workers of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), refused to accept insulin injection and other medical waste along with regular garbage during door to door collection of waste from residential localities daily.

There are more than 2 lakh patients in the city who are suffering from diabetes. For past 8-10 days, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) workers pushed these patients to inconvenience. The patients who are severe diabetic take insulin injection. Some patients had to take insulin for 2-3times a day.

The disease largely is found in senior citizens. The injection is thrown away after taking the insulin. It is not reused. Earlier, the ghanta-gadi workers would use to collect the insulin and other medical waste and transport it by keeping it in a separate red colour box. For the past, one week or more, these workers refused to take it. Hence the question arises before these patients over where to throw the insulin injections after using them. It cannot be thrown in regular garbage bins.

The AMC had appointed a Nasik-based Water Grace Co. to collect biomedical waste from the hospitals in the city. The company''s vehicle visits every hospital and collects the biomedical waste and dispose it of scientifically.

Two years ago, the AMC appointed Hyderabad-based P Gopinath Reddy Co. to collect garbage from door to door. The company''s 200 and AMC''s 100 autorickshaws are being used to collect the trash. One red-coloured box was fixed at the tail-end of each vehicle to carry biomedical waste. However, the box is now missing from 80 per cent of the autos. Now, the private contractor''s workers have refused to take biomedical waste from the citizens.

The head of solid waste management (SWM) cell Nandkishore Bhombe said, " We will issue a fresh order directing to collect biomedical waste generated at homes. We will instruct the company''s workers to collect insulin and other medical waste of the patients, especially the senior citizens. This medical waste will be collected and then handed over to Water Grace company for scientific disposal."