HC says government hospitals in Maha must have committees to oversee hygiene

The Bombay High Court said on Wednesday that all civic and state-run hospitals in Maharashtra must have dedicated committees to oversee cleanliness and hygiene in their premises which are visited by a large number of patients and their relatives daily.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni said amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining hygiene and cleanliness must be the priority for all hospitals.

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Pune-based NGO seeking that hospitals mandatorily follow biomedical waste disposal norms.

On Wednesday, when the matter was called out, the bench said it is high time, dedicated committees are set up in each and every hospital run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and also by the state government.

''Each hospital must have a separate committee to oversee cleanliness. That is a must because large number of patients and relatives visit daily and thus there is a risk of getting infected,'' the HC said. ''Hygiene must be maintained.We can't let people get infected. Disposal of biomedical waste should be done properly,'' it said.

The BMC's counsel, senior advocate Anil Sakhre, told the HC that municipal hospitals in the city had designated personnel to maintain cleanliness.

He, however, said the BMC will look into the suggestions submitted by the petitioner on maintaining highest standard of hygiene in its hospitals.

The HC adjourned the PIL for further hearing to next week.