Negligence in waste management: Buddha Mai Hospital fined Rs 100,000

KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has fined Buddha Mai Hospital in Teku a sum of Rs 100,000 for negligence in waste management.

The first inspection of the hospital took place on Feb 23, 2024 (2070 Falgun 11).

During the inspection, the monitoring team observed the absence of a medicine trolley at the nursing station and no waste bins inside the rooms. The team had requested the hospital to place color-coded bins at appropriate waste-generating locations.

Following the initial inspection, a formal letter was sent to the hospital, instructing them to install a hazardous waste disposal system.

However, the hospital repeatedly ignored the requests. After the fourth inspection, the city decided to impose a fine of Rs 100,000 for their failure to comply with the instructions.

The third inspection, conducted on Sept 7 (2081 Bhadra 22), revealed that all types of waste had been collected in one place.

The hospital administration was unable to present any waste management plan. The monitoring team gave the hospital another chance to properly dispose of hazardous waste and bring it under control before leaving.

To check how the hospital utilized the third opportunity, the inspection team visited again on Thursday.

They found the collected waste had been emptied, but steam was still rising from the room where the waste had been stored. The items designated for sterilization showed no significant change in their condition.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City stated that the hospital’s repeated disregard for its instructions prompted the fine.

Prior to this, the hospital had been fined Rs 15,000 for similar negligence.