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Biomedical Waste Management in India : Still a looming concern

The seemingly endless stream of biomedical waste management in India has necessitated the Ministry of Environment,Forest and Climate Change to amend and enforce the 'parent rules' of 2016

The safe and sustainable management of bio medical waste (BMW) is social and legal responsibility of all people supporting  and financing health-care activities. Effective BMW management (BMWM) is mandatory for healthy humans and cleaner environment.As per the act passed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1986 & notified the Bio Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules in July 1998,it is the duty of every "occupier",i.e a person who has the control over the institution or its premises,to take all steps to ensure that waste generated is handled without any adverse effect to human health and environment.

 Salient Features :

 The major salient features of BMW Management Rules,2016 include the following :-

 (a) The ambit of the rules  has been expanded to include vaccination camps,blood donation camps,surgical camps or any other healthcare activity ;

 (b) Phase-out the use  of chlorinated plastic bags,gloves and blood bags within two years;

 (c) Pre-treatment of the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples and blood bags through disinfection orsterilization on-site in the manner as prescribed by WHO or NACO;

 (d) Provide training to all its health care workers and immunize all health workers regularly;

 (e) Establish a Bar-Code System for bags or containers containing bio-medical waste for disposal;

 (f) Report major accidents;

 (g) The new rules  prescribe more stringent standards for incinerator to reduce the emission of pollutants in environment;

 (h) Existing incinerators to achieve the standards for retention time in secondary chamber and Dioxin and Furans within two years;

 (i)  Bio-medical waste has been classified in to 4 categories instead of 10 to improve the segregation of waste at source;

 (j) Procedure to get authorization simplified. Automatic authorization for bedded hospitals. The validity of authorization synchronized with validity of consent orders for Bedded HCFs.One time Authorization for Non-bedded HCFs;

 (k) No occupier shall establish on-site treatment and disposal facility,if a service of common bio-medical waste treatment facility is available at distance of seventy-five kilometers.

 (l) Operator of a common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility to ensure the timely collection of bio-medical  waste from the HCFs and assist the HCFs in conduct of training.

   

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