GSPCB to issue notices to health care centres

PANJIM: The State Advisory Committee has directed the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to issue notices to all the health care facilities in Goa, who have failed to obtain authorisation under the Biomedical Waste Management (BMW) Rules 2016 with regards to disposal of medical waste.

The Committee has also decided to direct the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) to stop the operation of its incinerator and the medical waste should be disposed through the Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) at Kundaim. Also the incinerator should be shifted at the facility site. 

During the State Advisory Committee meeting held last month, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) gave a detailed presentation on the present status of biomedical waste treatment facility at Kundaim Industrial Estate with regards to total Health Care Facilities (HCF’s) agreement signed, biomedical waste collected and treated at the CBWTF till date.

Upon perusal of the update and present status it was decided that GSPCB to issue Public Notice to all HCFs which are operating without authorisation under Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016 and not disposing their waste as per direction. 

“It was decided that GSPCB to issue notices to the HCFs who have not obtained authorisation and /or not complying with the BMW Rules 2016 in disposal of biomedical waste,” the minutes of the meeting read. 

During the meeting, the committee also noted that Health Care Facilities of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) and Goa Dental College and Hospital have started disposing their biomedical waste through CBWTF Kundaim. 

However, the GMC has still not commenced disposing the waste through the CBWT and is disposing their waste by utilising the in-house incinerator. “It was decided that GMC may directed to stop the operations of incinerator and dispose the biomedical waste through CBWTF,” the meeting decided.

As per the GWMC tender conditions, the existing incinerator of GMC is to be shifted to CBWTF

Kundaim by the concessionaire at his own cost and use as standby incinerator and hence GMC should expedite signing of agreement with CBWTF operator.

It was also decided that DHS will expedite the signing of agreements of its HCF’s.