To preserve environment and to save human health from ill-treatment of biomedical waste, the Punjab Government on Monday issued strict instructions to comply guidelines for the Treatment of Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998.
The instructions have been issued to all hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories, blood banks and all those institutions where medical wastes is generated, collected, stored, treated, disposed or handled.
Giving details of the instructions, issued to all institutions, a spokesperson said that biomedical waste would not be mixed with other wastes.
“Biomedical waste would be segregated into containers or bags at the point of generation in accordance with Rules prior to its storage, transportation, treatment and disposal. The containers would be labelled according to rules,” he added.
Spokesperson further said that no untreated bio-medical waste would be kept stored beyond a period of 48 hours, provided that if, for any reason, it becomes necessary to store the waste beyond such period, the authorised person must take permission of the prescribed authority and take measure to ensure that the waste does not adversely affect human health and the environment.
He said that every occupier or operator shall submit an annual report to the prescribed authority every year, to include information about the categories and quantities of bio medical wastes handled during the preceding year