Ludhiana: Health dept issues guidelines for disposal of bio-medical waste for patients in home isolation

Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said the patients’ and their caretakers’ waste should be kept wrapped in newspaper for 72 hours and disposed of like normal waste after that

Following reports of hazardous bio-medical waste disposal in rural areas, the health department has issued guidelines for patients in home quarantine and their caretakers.

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A letter issued by the health department said there was no facility to dispose of waste of home-isolated patients in rural areas and therefore the department had decided to issue guidelines to ensure safe disposal of bio-medical waste.

Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said the patients’ and their caretakers’ waste should be kept wrapped in newspaper for 72 hours and disposed of like normal waste after that. Dishes and clothes should be washed by the patient himself with hot water and soap and dried in the sun.

Masks, gloves and other disposable items should be heated and washed with soap and dried in the sun and then disposed of along with general waste.

Instructions have been issued to registered respiratory therapists’ (RRT) team to guide patients. Khanna civil hospital senior medical officer (SMO) Dr Rajinder Gulati said, “The municipal committee will collect the waste in rural areas and give it to the company assigned with the task of disposing of waste.”