GUWAHATI, Nov 29 – In order to curb the spread of fatal diseases like HIV/ AIDS / hepatitis-B and cancer, the Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) organized a training programme on ‘Biomedical waste (BMW) segregation, handling and disposal’ at the Board’s head office, Bamunimaidam, Guwahati recently.
A large number of doctors and nurses from all the government hospitals along with the BB Cancer Hospital, Gauhati Medical College Hospital, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital, etc., participated in the training programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman, PCBA, Prof. JL Dutta dwelt on the issues of proper segregation of BMW at source in colour-coded bins as per Medical Waste Management and Handling Rule 1998. He said that every hospital and nursing home must have at least one electric needle destroyer in each nursing station (ward) for destroying the needle immediately after its use.
“The disposable syringes are to be disinfected by bleaching solution and then crushed (mutilated). This is to be done to ensure that people are not affected with HIV, AIDS and hepatitis-B infections,” he said.
The needle and syringes obtained from blood bank after blood transfusion are also to be disposed in a similar way. Care has to be taken so that blood, which is transfused, is free from infection like HIV, AIDS, hepatitis-B, etc. The whole exercise will make significant contribution towards elimination of spread of HIV, AIDS, hepatitis-B and cancer, he said.
The chairman said that practically hospitals/ nursing homes generate only 10-15 per cent of infectious wastes but due to lack of proper segregation/separation at source, those infectious wastes contaminate the non-infectious wastes, thereby making the whole waste infectious.
Prof Dutta also highlighted the need to destroy the needles and syringes at source after single use to stop recycling. He said that anatomical waste obtained in the operation theatre, blood, body fluid, cotton swab, bandages, etc., were to be incinerated in a two-chamber incinerator with good air pollution control device, and chimney height should be 30 metres, with regular monitoring. The temperatures are to be maintained are 800±500C at the primary chamber and at 1050±500C at secondary chamber. The ash produced so should be disposed through secured landfill. The liquid biomedical waste is to be treated properly in an effluent treatment plant (ETP) and after proper treatment only it can be discharged. The PCBA has been conducting such programmes since June 2005. Till today 65 such training programmes have been conducted throughout the State.
