TGMCH grows organic vegetables using kitchen wastewater and scraps

Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital grows vegetables using wastewater and scraps for patient meals, promoting sustainability.

A vegetable garden has been set up at the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital (TGMCH) using wastewater and vegetable scraps from the hospital kitchen. Harvesting has already begun, and the vegetables grown are now being used to prepare food for the patients.

The hospital has a dedicated kitchen facility and the area near it was previously overgrown with bushes and wild plants. Recently, the hospital administration cleared the space and laid paver blocks. Following this, a decision was made to use the wastewater and scraps from the kitchen to grow vegetables in the area.

To implement this, few paver blocks were selectively removed and seeds were sown in gaps.

Silas Jeyamani, Resident Medical Officer of TKGMCH said that the initiative was the brainchild of G. Sivakumar, Dean, TKGMCH and Febin Cortex, Assistant Resident Medical Officer of TKGMCH.

“We have planted vegetables such as tomatoes, brinjal, lady’s fingers and chillies. Greens like dwarf copperleaf (ponnanganni) and sesbania grandiflora (agathi) have been planted,” he said.

“Many of these plants have already started yielding produce, which we are now using to prepare meals for patients. In addition to the regular government food supplies, these fresh vegetables are also included in patient meals,” he added.

Mr. Silas mentioned that only wastewater from the hospital kitchen is used for irrigation, and kitchen scraps along with other organic waste are repurposed as manure, making the initiative more eco friendly and for the benefit of patients.