Irregular garbage lifting at Pune Municipal Corporation-run Kamala Nehru Hospital has triggered serious hygiene concerns, with waste piling up on the premises for days and causing inconvenience to patients, visitors and hospital staff, officials said on Saturday. Hospital authorities said garbage had not been lifted for over three days this week, resulting in foul smell and unhygienic conditions on premises. The issue has not been addressed for the past couple of months despite repeated complaints to the Kasba Peth ward office.
In a letter to Kasba Peth ward office on April 23, the hospital administration pointed out that the garbage collection vehicle deployed by the ward office contractor was not lifting all the waste generated at the medical facility.
The administration requested the ward office to regularly deploy a garbage collection vehicle with adequate capacity to ensure complete and regular waste clearance.
Dr Prashant Bothe, medical superintendent, Kamala Nehru Hospital, said, “In a hospital, waste clearance cannot be irregular. Sanitation is directly linked to patient safety. Garbage should be lifted daily without fail.”.
“We come here for treatment, but the foul smell near the waste collection area is unbearable. This is a hospital, not a dumping yard,” said a relative of a patient, requesting anonymity.
Timayya Jangale, head, Kasba Peth ward office, said the issue has been addressed, but admitted that delays were caused by larger waste disposal problems across the city.
“The issue has been resolved. The delay happened because the garbage depot at Hadapsar is operating at full capacity. As dumping vehicles have to wait for long hours at the depot, lifting garbage from various locations gets delayed. It is a citywide issue,” said Jangale, adding that a request has been sent to PMC to provide additional vehicles.
Kamala Nehru Hospital, a major civic healthcare facility in central Pune, witnesses a steady flow of patients every day, making regular sanitation critical for infection control and patient safety.
