Sikkim Notifies Interim Bio-Medical Waste Disposal Framework for Private Healthcare Facilities

The Government of Sikkim's Health and Family Welfare Department issued a significant Notification on February 13, 2024, subsequently published in the Sikkim Government Gazette on February 16, 2024, establishing a temporary mechanism for the disposal of yellow category bio-medical waste. This directive was necessitated by the current absence of an operational Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility (CBWTF) within the State, a facility mandated by the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, for the proper disposal of segregated bio-medical waste. The Notification follows discussions held during the First Advisory Committee meeting concerning the disposal of yellow category bio-medical waste, specifically from private hospitals, clinics, dispensaries, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, blood banks, and other healthcare facilities, regardless of their system of medicine.

Under the new framework, all institutions listed in the Notification's Annexure, along with premises generating bio-medical waste located near a Government hospital, are now required to dispose of their yellow category bio-medical waste at the nearest Government Hospital equipped with captive incineration facilities. This arrangement is explicitly temporary, intended to remain in effect until a dedicated Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility is established in Sikkim. The yellow category of bio-medical waste covered includes human anatomical waste (such as human tissues and discarded body parts), animal anatomical waste, soiled waste (items contaminated with blood or body fluids like dressings and cotton swabs), discarded linen and bedding contaminated with blood or body fluid, and microbiology, biotechnology, and other clinical laboratory waste (including cultures, specimens, and used devices). Other types of yellow category waste with different final disposal methods are excluded from this specific directive. The legislation provided: “Now therefore, with a view to achieve the above objective, the State Government is hereby pleased to notify that all the institutions mentioned in the Annexure and the premises generating Bio-Medical Waste located in the vicinity of a Government hospital shall, till the establishment of Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility in the State, dispose off their yellow category of Bio-Medical Waste in the nearby Government Hospital equipped with captive incineration in accordance with the following procedures, namely:-”

To utilize these government facilities, private clinics, laboratories, and sample collection centres must first obtain a clearance certificate from the clinical establishment cell of the Health Family Welfare Department for the Gangtok Municipality Area, or from the clinical establishment section of District Registering Authority offices for other districts. Similarly, veterinary clinics, private educational institutions, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or private firms must submit photocopies and self-attested copies of their registration or affiliation certificates to the concerned hospital authority. Upon satisfying these documentary requirements and paying prescribed user charges, the hospital administration will issue an official order permitting the use of the incinerator. Entities are obligated to quantify, pre-treat (sterilize in an autoclave), mark, and label their yellow category waste according to the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, maintaining a log book for inspection. They must transport the treated waste in their own vehicles to designated incinerator operators at Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital or district hospitals, where it will be recorded and acknowledged. User charges, detailed in the Annexure, must be deposited into the account of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) of the respective hospitals. Permissions are valid for one year and require annual renewal, with a late fee of Rs. 100 per day applicable for renewals made after the validity date. This Notification came into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette on February 16, 2024.

Keywords: Bio-Medical Waste, Sikkim, Healthcare Waste, Incineration, Waste Management, Public Health, Environmental Protection, Government Notification, Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules 2016

Geo Tags: Country: India, State: Sikkim District: Not Applicable