Medical staff to be trained in waste management

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, OCT. 14. A debate on bio-medical waste management (BMW) was kicked off today by the Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Medical Association and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

At the meeting involving doctors, hospital administrators and NGOs besides officials from the TNPCB and the Health Department, it was decided that training programmes on in-house waste management for medical staff in Chennai would be given by December 31 this year.

The deadline for other Corporations has been fixed at March 2001 and for district headquarters before June 2001, Dr. M. Arulpitchai Narayanan, IMA organising secretary said.

The meeting also decided to set up a model hospital in each district which shall act as a nodal agency and contact the centre for further training. Medical waste management should be introduced as a subject in the curriculum for medical and paramedical educational programmes, the group felt.

Ms. Sheela Rani Chunkath, Chairperson, TNPCB, commending the efforts of the IMA, said that while the Board was willing to extend help, the Association had to make its own efforts to safely dispose of the medical waste generated by hospitals and nursing homes.

Dr. C. M. K. Reddy, Chairman of IMA, Tamil Nadu branch, said that HUDCO had agreed in principle to be a lead institute to arrange finance for BMW Management. The Central Pollution Control Board had indicated that if a comprehensive proposal was drawn up for Tamil Nadu, research and funding would be given through the Ministry of Environment and Forests and through grants.

Mr. L. K. Tripathy, Health Secretary, said that the Government would take steps to first create an awareness among the doctors and paramedical staff in its hospitals as a first step towards achieving BMW Management.

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Section  : Southern States
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