Calcutta Medical Research Institute

Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) was forced to stop admitting patients on Thursday after the state pollution control board slapped the hospital with a closure notice for flouting bio-medical waste disposal norms.

“We have stopped taking in patients. Only emergency cases are being admitted,” said Rupak Barua, the chief operating officer of the 350-bed facility in New Alipore. Patients already admitted to the New Alipore hospital are being treated.

The April 23 closure notice had directed CMRI “to stop further admission of patients with immediate effect” and pay a pollution cost of Rs 1 lakh within 10 days.

On Thursday, senior officials of the environment department offered to train the staff of the 41-year-old hospital in segregating and disposing of hazardous bio-medical waste.

“Officials of the pollution control board and the environment department have offered technical help to train doctors, nurses and hospital employees in managing bio-medical waste. We have advised the hospital authorities to formally seek help,” said Biswajit Mukherjee, a senior law officer of the board.

CMRI officials met pollution control board and environment department officials on Thursday and discussed the steps that needed to be taken.

“They have been asked to pay the fine as soon as possible,” said Mukherjee.

Barua said the hospital would soon submit a letter to the board stating that all norms had been complied with. “We have told the officials that we are ready for the inspection,” said Barua.

A government official said that if the inspection team detected any rule flout, the hospital might be temporarily closed and its patients shifted to other healthcare facilities.