Telangana HC issues notice on hospitals' plea over biomedical waste fee

Hyderabad: Private hospitals in the state have taken their fight against the new bio-medical waste fee system to the Telangana High Court. The petitioners alleged that the system unfairly penalises bedded facilities while non-bedded institutions pay strictly in proportion to the waste they generate.

While hearing the matter, a division bench comprising Justices Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Vakiti Ramakrishna Reddy directed the state and central governments, along with the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) and the Central Pollution Control Board, to respond to the plea filed by private hospitals and doctors’ bodies regarding bio-medical waste charges.

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The case was filed by the Telangana Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association and more than 400 member doctors. They challenged a TGPCB circular issued on June 4, 2025, that mandates that bedded healthcare facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, pay fees on a ‘per bed, per day' basis, regardless of actual waste generated, reports TOI.

This means even if a hospital has low patient admissions, it must pay for all sanctioned beds. On the other hand, non-bed facilities such as clinics, laboratories, and diagnostic centres are billed only for the actual weight of the waste they produce.

Arguing that the circular is arbitrary, discriminatory, and violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law, the petitioners' counsel, Vedula Srinivas, highlighted that hospitals with low or partial bed occupancy are forced to pay for all sanctioned beds, imposing a significant financial burden.

The petitioners also questioned the national guidelines that allow this system, saying they permit unequal charging and discriminate against bigger facilities. They have requested the court to suspend the June 4 circular and direct authorities to follow a uniform system where all healthcare institutions are charged only for the actual waste they generate.

Considering the plea, the bench allowed the petitioners to serve notices personally to the respondents. The next hearing will take place on October 28.

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