Health Department nominates nodal officers for effective management of biomedical waste at government hospitals in Karnataka

Health Department appoints nodal officers in Karnataka to oversee proper management of biomedical waste in healthcare facilities.

For effective management of biomedical waste (BMW) generated in the State-run hospitals, the Health Department has nominated Family Welfare Officers in charge of districts and Taluk Health Officers in all 31 districts as nodal officers.

These nodal officers have been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that all legal requirements related to the management of biomedical waste are compiled by the healthcare facilities and are regularly updated. 

According to a recent notification issued by State Health Commissioner Randeep D., the nodal officers should ensure that annual reports and accident reports are submitted to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) in a timely manner by the facilities.

The nodal officers should ensure that biomedical waste is handled without any adverse effect on human health and the environment adhering to BMW Management Rules 2016 and its amendments. They should instruct the health facilities to make a provision within the premises for a safe, ventilated, and secured location for the storage of segregated biomedical waste. They should also ensure that there is no secondary handling, pilferage of recyclables or inadvertent scattering or spillage of the biomedical waste by animals, the notification stated.

The nodal officers should ensure that biomedical waste from central waste collection storage or premises shall be directly transported to the common biomedical waste treatment facility for the appropriate treatment and disposal as per rules. “They should ensure pre-treatment of all the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples and blood bags before handing over to the common biomedical waste treatment facility.

“BMW if disposed of in an unsafe manner has the potential to release dioxins and furans, which are highly bio-hazardous. Therefore, safe management of BMW throughout its lifecycle is required to safeguard the public and protect the environment. Proper management and handling of BMW significantly reduces the risk to human health and the environment. In March 2016, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified BMW Rules 2016 and further amended it in 2018, 2019, and 2020. All the hospitals under the Department of Health and Family Welfare must adhere to these rules,” the notification stated.