New rules to regulate biomedical waste disposal

The Centre on 27th March declared new rules for the segregation and treatment of biomedical wastes. Under the new rules, blood samples and microbiological waste should be pre-treted on site before the disposal. The government also introduced a bar coding system to track the bio medical wastes.

Biomedical waste comprises human & animal anatomical waste, treatment apparatus likeneedles, syringes and other materials used in health care facilities in the process of treatment and research. This waste is generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunisation in hospitals, nursing homes, pathological laboratories, blood bank, etc. Total bio-medical waste generation in the country is 484 tonnes from 1,68,869 healthcare facilities (HCF).

Scientific disposal of Biomedical Waste through segregation, collection and treatment in an environmentally sound manner minimizes the adverse impact on health workers and on the environment. The hospitals are required to put in place the mechanisms for effective disposal either directly or through common biomedical waste treatment and disposal facilities.