Focus on sanitation in government hospitals across Telangana

State frames strategy through revised IHFMS for better management of sanitation and biomedical waste.

Hyderabad: A series of measures launched by the State government in recent months are expected to address the challenging task of ensuring proper sanitation and maintenance of bio-medical waste management in government hospitals across Telangana.

The State government has framed a strategy to improve the maintenance of hospital beds through a revised Integrated Hospital Facility Management Services (IHFMS) and also launched the construction of Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) in major tertiary government hospitals in Hyderabad and districts.

As part of implementing IHFMS, the Telangana government hiked maintenance of a hospital bed from Rs 5, 000 to Rs 7,500 per month in all government hospitals. To ensure sanitation workers in government hospitals are paid well, the IHFMS ensures that they get paid a minimum monthly remuneration of Rs 15,600 while earlier, the monthly payment was Rs 9,000. The IHFMS also makes it mandatory for third-party agencies to ensure that they deploy a minimum of 45 persons for 100 beds in government hospitals. To ensure proper quality checks, the superintendents of government hospitals have been empowered to regulate the agencies and initiate quick action in case of a deficiency of services.

“After deduction of the salary component, the remaining amount should be used for procurement of reagents and consumables. For instance, for a 100-bed hospital, the total amount sanctioned per month is Rs 7,50,000 i.e. Rs 7,500 per bed. The amount payable to a minimum of 45 workers is Rs7,02,000 and the remaining amount of Rs 48, 000 must be utilised to procure reagents and consumables,” the IHFMS guidelines stated.

STPs

Apart from implementing IHFMS, another major decision taken by the State government to improve maintenance in government hospitals is the decision to establish 20 STPs in as many tertiary hospitals with a cost of Rs 134.46 crore. Out of the sanctioned Rs 134.46 crore, a total of Rs 68.31 crore will be met from the funds that were sanctioned by the State government to Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPSCB).

Almost all major government hospitals in Hyderabad and elsewhere in the districts will have their own independent STPs and do not have to depend on third-party agencies to process their biomedical waste. The works related to the construction of the STPs are underway and are expected to get over in the coming few months. The Health Department will provide a pre-treatment facility for the laboratory, Operation Theatre (OT), and laundry washings before letting into STP and also will meet the outlet discharge standards as per the Biomedical Waste Rules, 2016, and its amendments.