The Hindu, Vijayawada Updated: January 1, 2016 08:33 IST
The State government has approved the Scientific Sanitation Policy-2015 for better implementation of sanitation in government hospitals on Thursday.
Under the new policy, separate tenders will be called for sanitation, security, and pest and rodent control.
Sanitation and security services have been hitherto clubbed, but the government has observed that safe collection, storage, treatment, and disposal of different kinds of waste and its management, security and pest and rodent prevention are separate specialised individual areas that need to be dealt with separately.
The new policy follows a study of the models of other States like Tamil Nadu and institutions like AIIMS, New Delhi, and University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, done by the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC).
Maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness of health facilities was found to be not only related to aesthetics and patient satisfaction but also as an essential step that reduces the incidence of Hospital Acquired (Nosocomial) infections.
The decision to bring the new sanitation policy has been taken to overcome the lapses found in the previous policy and the death of an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Government General Hospital in Guntur due to a rodent attack.
Service standards
The new policy document lays down service standards of sanitation for different areas in a hospital as per ‘Swatchata guidelines for public health facilities’ issued by the Union Ministry of Health, Medical and Family Welfare.
A State-level committee headed by Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare and comprising Director of Medical Education, Commissioner of APVVP and Managing Director, APMSIDC, as members will monitor implementation of the new policy.
The government has grouped medical institutions into two packages — institutions under Directorate of Medical Education (all teaching hospitals, specialty hospitals and medical colleges, including hostels) and institutions under Andhra Pradesh Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (all district hospitals, areas hospitals, and major community health centres with high-patient load).
It is meant to bring in economies of scale and best technologies and managerial expertise for improving their efficiency.
Under it, separate tenders will be called for sanitation, security, and pest and rodent control
